Planting strawberries: location & ideal time

The sweet strawberries simply taste best from your own garden. We'll tell you the best way to plant strawberries.

Strawberries (Fragaria) to grow in your own garden or on the balcony is actually not difficult. With the right soil in the right location, well cared for, fertilized and watered, nothing stands in the way of the delicious harvest between June and August. In the following, we will introduce you to everything you need to consider when planting strawberries, from the choice of location to the planting time and procedure.

Planting strawberries: location

The location is crucial for a successful strawberry harvest. The rhizome, i.e. the rhizome, of the strawberry plants is sensitive to frost. That is why gardens and cold storage areas exposed to the wind are not suitable for growing strawberries. Even very protected locations, which lead to premature budding and then expose the plant to late frosts unprotected, are not ideal. Rather, strawberries like well-structured, well-ventilated and slightly acidic (around pH 6) soil with a lot

humus. Sunny places are ideal, but watering should not be forgotten in full sun exposure. Soil compaction and waterlogging can reduce the success of cultivation, as this increases the risk of root rot. If you fear problems with waterlogging or have very loamy soil, you should consider cultivation on embankments. Where the soil conditions absolutely do not meet the criteria, it is advisable to Better to plant strawberries in pots or boxeswhich can be moved to a sunny and sheltered place and in winter where there is no risk of frost.

Incidentally, you should not plant strawberries in beds that you planted in the year before Cucumber, Tomatoes, potatoes, celery, Cabbage plants or legumes (Beans, peas) stood. Because all of these plants can benefit from the Verticillium- Wilt become infested and therefore unconsciously present potential disease hazards for the strawberries. Beds in which strawberries have grown in the past three years should also be given a three-year break for the time being. One Green manure (e.g. barley, oats, buckwheat, phazelia), which leaves the soil free of weeds, is the best preculture for a new strawberry bed.

What should be considered when choosing a location for strawberries?

• Strawberries like it sunny and sheltered from the wind and abhor frost
• Well-aerated, humus-rich and slightly acidic soil
• With loamy soil or risk of waterlogging: embankment culture, higher beds (e. B. 40 cm high) or choose varieties that can cope better with these conditions

Planting strawberries: planting time and procedure

The optimal planting time is from the end of July to the middle of August. Then the plants have enough time to form roots and to plant flower buds in September for the first harvest next year. But strawberries can also be planted into September and into spring, but then they will not bear any fruit in the first year of standing. So-called Frigo strawberries (in "A +" quality) can be planted between the beginning of April and the end of June. They are a bit more expensive, but bear ripe fruit about eight weeks after planting. This is possible because the runners that became frigo plants were separated much later than normal and these have already formed flowers as runners.

So that the strawberry plants have enough energy to grow, something primarily organic bio-fertilizer with a potassium content like ours should be used before planting Plantura organic tomato fertilizer be given into the planting hole. For cultivation in the home garden, three-row beds with 40 to 45 cm spacing between the rows have proven effective. A maintenance and harvesting path with a width of 60 cm should be laid out every three rows. There should be a space of about 25 to 30 cm between the plants in the row (15 cm for monthly strawberries).

Because the transition between roots and shoot is minimal, you should pay close attention to the correct planting depth when planting. If the plants are too deep, the heart leaves (the small vegetation tips in the middle of the plant) or the roots can rot easily. If the plants are too high, however, the roots and heart leaves can easily dry out. Immediately after planting, the strawberries should be watered properly. Especially in midsummer temperatures, you should always ensure there is sufficient water supply two or three weeks after planting (watering once a day).

When and how are strawberries planted?

• At best between the end of July and mid-August, then a harvest can be expected in the following year
• Frigo plants (harvest after 8 weeks) can be planted from the beginning of April to the end of June
• Pay attention to the correct planting depth when planting

The best Strawberry varieties for your garden or balcony we have put together for you here.