Homesfornh.com – Strawberries are one of the fruits that have a delicious and fresh taste. The strawberry plants grow in a warm climate. It is native to North America. Strawberry includes in the Rosaceae family plant. It has various juicy flavors such as sweet, sour, juicy, and fruity. Some varieties of strawberry are Albion, seascape, everbearing, and so on. Strawberry is rich in vitamin C, then it tastes good in dessert and fresh fruit. It is one of the popular fruits to make fresh juice, vitamin C, garnishes, and salads. Growing this plant in the garden is possible to do, even though it grows in a tropical area. Before we dive into the main topics about the easy ways to grow strawberries in your home garden in this article, you need to prepare a few things as follows:
- Garden trowel
- Raised bed
- Potting mix and compost
- 5 strawberries
- Watering can
- Straw mulch (another mulch is fine too)
After you have prepared all of the above, the next topic we will discuss is Easy Ways to Grow Strawberries in Your Home Garden. By having this plant, you can get a garden that looks more beautiful. In addition, you can also harvest strawberries for your consumption. This will provide benefits for you and your family. Therefore, let’s discuss this topic!
Take The Strawberry Seeds
It is easy to take the tiny seeds from strawberries. You need to prepare two plies of tissue and a bottle sprayer. Take a sharp knife in a sterile condition. Peel the strawberry gently, you only need a thin flesh to hold the strawberry seeds. Spray the tissue till it is a little wet. Put the strawberry flesh on tissue. Dried this tissue under the sunlight, then you can remove the strawberry seeds.
Spread The Seeds on A Container
When you plant strawberries with seedlings, you need to germinate them in a container. It is useful for the seeds to get adequate water and easy to move under the bright sunlight. Spread the seeds on a container, you don’t need to cover the seeds by adding some soil. Let the seeds stay on the surface to get an exposure light.
Germinate The Seeds by Regular Watering
If you grow the strawberry seeds, you need to water them regularly. The seeds need water to germinate. They like to get water more than mature plants. You need to wait for 1-2 weeks to see the first germ. Be patient. Give the water routine and enough sunlight.
Start Planting The Germ
Check the germs every week to measure how strong it is to transplant into a larger container. The raised bed is a beneficial container to grow a group of strawberry plants. Fill the raised bed with potting mix and compost. It provides fluffy and well-draining soil that is good for the roots system. Dig the soil to plant the germ. Ensure that the soil covers its roots properly. The crown should be on the surface of the good soil.
Mulching The Soil
Mulching is important! It is the key to maintain moist soil longer. Mulch has a rough texture to cover the soil and prevent water to evaporate during high temperatures. You can use a straw, pine needles, shredded leaves, and coco peat. The organic mulch also gives an additional nutrient to the soil. It will decay slowly along your strawberry plants grow delicious fruits.
Removing Flowers
Strawberry plants produce flowers during the growing season. In the first month, they bloom some flowers that will transform into strawberry fruits. The tiny flowers have white petals and pale yellow colors. You should remove the flowers in the early month after planting. Cutting the flowers help strawberry to focus growing leaves. You can let it blooms some flowers when they have bushy leaves. These leaves protect strawberry fruits from sunlight.
Pruning The Strawberry Runners
During the growing process, strawberries produce some runners around them. A runner is a creeping stem that grows new strawberry plants. The new strawberry plant will suck nutrition from the stem. It makes your strawberry plant lose more energy to grow fruit. You need to cut all runners to focus on the main stem, then your strawberry plant can produce fruits properly.
Fertilizing Around The Strawberry Plants
Feeding the strawberry plant is also important for their growth. You can use an organic fertilizer such as chicken manure, blood meal, compost, and other organic fertilizer. The strawberry plant will grow well if you fertilizing it around 4-6 weeks after planting. Fertilizing after harvesting the first crop and when the bloom appears is the right time to feed your strawberry plant. Spread the fertilizer around the plant and push it gently.
The Common Pests and Diseases
The Strawberry plant is a sensitive plant. Overwatering and underwatering will damage their leaves. Manage your watering routine at least twice a week at a warm temperature. Other problems are mealybugs, cutworms, leaf miners, and aphids. You can spray your strawberry plant with neem oil solution or cayenne peppers solution. Don’t forget to check the strawberry plants every week to see their health conditions.
Thus our discussion of Easy Ways to Grow Strawberries in Your Home Garden. Strawberry is delicious to add to a dessert and salad. You can also make delicious strawberry juice. This plant is easy to grow in rich and well-draining soil. Strawberry loves sunlight but prefers partial shade in the afternoon. You can grow this plant in your garden and harvest fresh strawberries with your green thumb. Hopefully, this article is helpful for you to grow strawberries in your garden. Happy gardening!
