Top Ten Tips for The Best Harvest of Strawberries This Summer

As strawberry season is in full swing, we decided to round up our top ten tips to ensure a bountiful harvest of strawberries this summer. From picking the right type of strawberry to plant, to keeping an eye out for garden pests, there are lots of things to consider when growing these little berries.

1. Choose the right variety of strawberries

To lengthen your harvest season, you should consider planting multiple varieties of strawberries to ensure you have a consistent batch throughout strawberry season.

There are four key types of strawberries to choose from:

June Bearing - This variety produces one large crop during the season.

Day Neutral - This variety produces a small crop throughout the season.

Everbearing - This variety produces two to three crops throughout the season.

Alpine - Also known as Wild Strawberries, this variety produces small berries and a small crop once in the season.

2. Prepare the soil

Start as you mean to go on! Begin by weeding the soil where you hope to plant your strawberries. Once the weeds are gone, spread a layer of compost on the top. Strawberries are shallow-rooted plants and this top layer of nutrients is important to allow them to grow.

3. Remember why they are called strawberries

Strawberries got their name from the process of laying down a layer of straw in a process called ‘mulching’. This process inhibits the growth of weeds and conserves water for the plant. If you don’t have straw, leaves or grass, clippings are a great alternative!

4. Give them space

Much like us, strawberries love personal space, so avoid overcrowding your soil with too many plants. Strawberry plants should have at least 40 cm of place between each plant and 30 cm of depth within the soil in order to grow properly.

5. Give them sunshine

For the tastiest strawberries this season, make sure they are planted in a spot with loads of sunshine. We recommend a spot in your garden that gets early morning or late evening sunshine, so the strawberries can avoid overheating in the midday sun.

6. Water wisely

Try not to water log your strawberry plant. Ideally, strawberries should get an inch worth of water each week. Overwatered strawberries are easily susceptible to root rot, so be mindful of your watering habits!

7. Keep an eye out for pests

Lots of pests love the taste of strawberries. The main culprits of pests during strawberry season are slugs, snails and birds. Mulching your soil will discourage slugs and snails from munching on your plants as they hate crawling through mulch. Birds can be stopped from stealing the fruit of your labour by installing bird netting and row covers.

8. Remove runners

Strawberries are spread by underground roots called runners, however, this uses a lot of the plant’s energy. By removing these runners, the plant’s energy can be redirected to producing more fruit.

9. Fertilise soil

When the flowers on your strawberry plant begin to bloom, you should consider fertilising your soil with organic, safe-for-food fertiliser. This will provide nutrient-rich minerals to the strawberry plant which is necessary for the healthy growth of its berries.

10. Be patient

The hardest part of strawberry season is waiting for your strawberries to grow. From seed to fruit, it takes approximately 60 to 90 days for your strawberry plant to develop but it is important to be patient during this process to maximise your strawberry yield!

Whether it is your first time growing strawberries or you're a seasonal expert, these top tips will no doubt help you on your quest to maximise your strawberry harvest this season. Maintaining the deliciousness and resilience of these strawberries requires top-notch care. We at Prograss Bio know all about enhancing the strength and health of plants because of our work with biofertilizers. Visit our Product Page to learn more about our work!