Strawberries are a delicious, crowd-pleaser crop that can be grown with little effort in the so-cal garden. A favorite for snacking and cooking alike, strawberries round out a classic veggie garden as a year-round sweet treat.
Quick tips for growing strawberries!
Keep your soil moist - strawberries do not like to dry out.
Fertilize! We like to fertilize monthly with 1 TBSP of Recipe 420 Recharge per plant.
Plant in nutritious soil high in organic matter, like compost.
Strawberries love full sun, but would like some shade in the hottest parts of summer.
When planting be careful to set plants at the same level of the current soil in it’s nursery pot. Planting too low may cause rot and too high will result in a weak plant. Water in deeply, and cover soil with mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. Apply fertilizer monthly.
Prune runners as they develop.
Prune leaves at the end of the season (Dec/Jan), avoiding cutting into the crown. Apply fertilizer after pruning to encourage new growth.
Summer planting (Aug - Oct) results in plants that develop during the fall, winter and spring, and begin to fruit heavily in the spring and summer.
Spring planting - short day cultivars planted in springs will not fruit as the plants energy is used to grow runners. Day neutral strawberries can be planted in spring for a summer crop if runners are removed early.
Winter planting (Oct - Dec) results in plants that begin growing immediately and fruit soon after.
Strawberry cultivars fall into two categories - day neutral, and short day. Short Day strawberries produce fruit when days are short and cool in late fall, winter, and early spring. Day Neutral cultivars do not respond to day length and produce flowers and fruit all year long.
Short day cultivars:
Chandler - exceptional color, flavor, and size. Typically winter planted.
Sequoia - Large, soft berries with excellent flavor.
Day Neutral cultivars:
Albion - medium berry, balanced flavor, produces particularly well it’s second year, disease resistant. CA favorite. High sugar content.
Alpine - french variety with tiny, conical berries. Exquisitely sweet with a subtle strawberry flavor.
Quinault - decent yield, good flavor, common with home gardeners.
San Andreas - large berries, good flavor, very productive, disease resistant, release from the University of California.
Seascape - medium size berry with decent flavor, disease resistant, popular with home gardeners. Classic strawberry.
