Strawberries in the Backyard Garden

Strawberries (Fragaria X ananassa)are known far and wide as the queen of the small-space fruit and are perfectly suited for urban and suburban gardens.

And what's not to love? Strawberry plants are easy to grow and pull double duty as both an edible and an ornamental plant. The first thing you should know about these sweet berries is that each variety falls into one of three categories:

• June-bearing - in which one the berries are harvested as one big crop in late spring or early summer.
• Everbearing - this type offers a double harvest; once in early summer and again in the fall.
• Day Neutral - day-neutral types have their main (largest) harvest in the early summer. But continue to produce berries lightly all the way till fall.

Then there are the little Alpine strawberries, which are in their own group (Fragaria vesca) bear a small crop of little but fragrant berries all summer long. These guys make pretty ground cover in ornamental beds, thus creating an ornamental edible landscape.

Strawberries like their soil to be rich in organic matter, slightly acidic, and well-draining. Most varieties appreciate full sun but the alpines will tolerate light shade with no problem. Truth be told, my Quinaults have done just fine in light shade. Still, sun is best.

When you first plant them, you want to plant them so that their roots are under the soil, but the crown (where the leaves come out) is sitting slightly above the soil line. Don't plant them flush with the soil line because it encourages crown rot.

Typically you'd plant strawberry starts about 12 inches apart in a bed. But in a container, I plant them slightly closer together.

Gardeners often mulch the bed in order to keep the fruit from touching the ground while they're ripening. Many gardeners practice another strawberry growing ritual that you'll struggle with; but it can pay off big-time if you can bear it.

When newly planted strawberries begin to flower - pinch the blossoms off and don't let them become pollinated. What this does is let allow all of the plant's energy to go to building a strong root system instead of spending that same energy on making blossoms and fruit that first year.

The proof will be in the years that follow; high strawberry production plus. That isn't to say if youdon't pinch off the flowers that you won't have berries in subsequent years, just that you'll have more of them and stronger plants for putting on your big girl panties in that first year.

If you plant your berry plants in containers, go for a hanging basket, window box, kitchen colander, or tub. Those Terra Cotta strawberry pots are cute, but they dry out much too quickly for my tastes. Choose a variety of strawberry types so that you have a harvest from late spring all the way to early fall.

June-Bearing Strawberries:

• Earliglow
• Shuksan
• Chandler
• Pugent Reliance
• Ranier
• Sequoia

Day-Neutral Strawberries:

• Seascape
• Tristar
• Selva
• Tribute
• Albion
• Alinta

Everbearing Strawberries:

• Fort Laramie
• Quinault
• Arapahoe
• Bolero
• Calypso
• Flamenco

Alpine Strawberries:

• Alpine  Yellow
• Alpine white
• Mignonette
• Baron Solemacher
• Alexandria

San Francisco Botanical Gardens at Strybing Arboretum is devoted to plant conservation and offers a wide diversity of plant collections for you to peruse.  They always have something going on 0ver there to educate and entertain the entire family. There's even a treasure hunt map in the bookstore that kids can use to follow clues to explore the gardens. The gardens has guided tours, plant sales, and classes, too. It's a perfect weekend to go for a visit.

Where: San Francisco Botanical Gardens at Strybing Arboretum1199 9th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-1316

When: Daily: 9 am - 6 pm (April-Oct.)
Daily: 10 am - 5 pm (Nov-March)
Free on the 2nd Tuesday of every month as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day

How Much: $7.00 - Adults
$5.00 - Youth ages 12-17, Seniors age 65 & over, and College Students with ID
$2.00 - Children ages 5-11
$15.00 - Families (2 adults and one or more children)

FREE for Children ages 4 and under
FREE for all San Francisco City and County residents with proof of residency (Valid CA ID, PG&E bill + photo ID).
FREE for SFBGS Members

Photo by Limerick6