5 Essential Spring Strawberry Tips

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

If you're hoping to get started with strawberries or even your first garden this year, or maybe you've tried in the past and didn't get the results you wanted, I've got a 12-chapter online course that'll get you there faster and started off the right way. Enrollment is now open, check it out here: courses.theripetomatofarms.ca/courses/vegetable-gardening-basics

[@LeticiaWorboys]

My strawberry plants are in there 3rd year and I'm blown away by the amount of flowers on them!!! It's going to be an amazing harvest this year!!!

[@Trashtruckmaster]

This was very helpful. We’ve always wanted to grow tomatoes, but never got to buying them today. We drove past the back of Home Depot and there’s a whole pile of tomato plants that they were throwing out. We watered them and they came back to life. Pretty excited.

[@EarthSojourner]

I've been growing strawberries successfully for a few years -- both types -- but I leaned helpful things from this video. Thank you.

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Jeff, another great video on how to care for strawberries. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@joannsilva4715]

No wonder my patch kept getting less & less plants! Now I'm strawberry-less! ☹️🍓🍓 Great video & you are such an interesting & good teacher!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thais Joann.... Sorry to hear about your patch! Are you starting over?

[@joannsilva4715]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Maybe next season! I had a TKR and cannot get around much yet! I planted some things earlier before the knee surgery!

[@DirkTas]

What variety of Strawberry is the one with the pink flowers? Great video's!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

That is Toscana, one of my favorites Dirk! 🙂

[@naomi2646]

Yes, Jeff which strawberries are you planting? I had shuksan strawberries but they played out in two years.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@naomi2646 hey Naomi, the usual suspects.... Toscana, Fresca, Berries Galore, Honeye..... Hope to add some new ones this year!

[@geirkselim2697]

​@@TheRipeTomatoFarmsI liked seascape over fresca and Toscana. I want to give honeyoye a shot.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

@@geirkselim2697 awesome, I'll give that one a try!

[@joncloutier9597]

Thank you your advice is always spot on.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Jon, appreciate that.

[@dawnkulak7078]

Morning Jeff! Man oh man do I ever feel fortunate to have found You! I am a Canadian as well! Question, my 2nd year berry plants do not have any LIFE…no green like yours do….I covered them adequately with straw, and the soil was not dried out after I uncovered them, just about 2 weeks ago. I waited till spring to trim the old dead growth….Do you think I’ll see any green come alive? 😢or did I kill them? I LOVE your documentaries! ESP how you re-cap!! Thank You Jeff! I will be sharing your information from CANADA! 🥰

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks for the kid words Dawn! Whereabouts are you growing? When if your last frost date. In most places, unless you are frozen solid, strawberry plants should most certainly already have green on them. They are one of the first plants to sprout up in the spring.

[@dawnkulak7078]

Hi! Edmonton, Alberta. Ok, well still no life, I thought I did everything tight….sad😢. Bought replacements, yesterday. Thanx so much Jeff!

[@tassiegirl1991]

Learnt yet another thing I had no Idea there were strawberries of different fruiting times. Mine fruited all summer and into autumn. But my alpines virtually no fruit since purchased. I’ve just transplanted all into smaller individual pots to overwinter ready for a new home come spring as so many runner plants. This was year three.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Sounds like you had an epicly awesome year 2 though!

[@JmJendtimes]

Great vid! Thank you! Tips please for getting rid of major aphid problem. No labybirds around to help! Have tried blasting them off with water, but need a preventative solution. Thank you!

[@VHYYZ2023]

Thank you so much for your tips. I just got 2 strawberries plants this spring. I hope they can grow well witj your tips. 🫶👍💯

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Right on, best of luck with them this season! 🙂

[@doulabug2]

I love your channel, there’s always something new to learn! Last April 2023, I planted 2 Fresca strawberry plants and 1 that I have no idea what variety as the label only says “Strawberry” in a raised garden bed. This year, they have multiplied so much that I have new plants growing in the corners of the bed. They are producing berries, but I need to get them covered with some type of bird netting before I don’t have anything left to harvest. All that being said, I don’t know if any of these plants are June-bearing or ever-bearing. I also have some berries growing in a regular pot, and some that I planted from runners in those little 3-sided pots from the Dollar Tree. They are all growing nicely and are just starting to bring on some fruit. I’m in North Carolina, zone 8a (last year it was 7b). My concern is, how do I amend the soil in a pot and/or raised garden bed? Everything was planted in organic potting soil with Espoma Berry Tone. I’ve done nothing to the soil this year and wonder when/where/what to do to amend the soil. I didn’t fertilize in the Fall, only once this spring with maybe 1/2 cup of liquid fertilizer (Greenway Biotech Strawberry Fertilizer 8-12-32 - Amazon) per container. Not knowing if any of my berry plants are June or Everbearing, how should I know when to fertilize?

[@janicepyke5313]

Love these guides. Thanks so much!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Cheers Janice! Happy to hear! I'll keep makin then then! :-)

[@emylytle5409]

Hello Jeff, so here’s my question, can you plant the strawberries with potatoes? I have them together in a raised bed with stand. Thanks for the tips and take care. 🥰👩‍🌾

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Emy! Yup, they grow just fine together!

[@patriciafarran9742]

Thank you. You answered my questions on runners and fertilizing. 😊 Do you leave your potted strawberries out during the winter? I left a few potted perennials out last winter and some didn’t make it.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Patricia, yes I do....but it really depends on your climate and what sort of shelter you can give if needed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mminoqN_irmCosksi=BOCVCWOKrHAIvmdw

[@user-xb7sj2uk4u]

My lot are doing fine. Think I got 3 generations going. Kept the youngest ones in the unheated greenhouse over winter. They still froze in their pots but doing dandy now. Some even have flowers already. Cleaned all of them up in fall, and didn't mulch them at all. Some of the second generation need to go into bigger pots tho which I plan to do over the next week or so. Tho overall I might get a few more handfuls of berries than I did last year 😁

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Its amazing how they can freeze solid and then bounce back like nothing happened!

[@suravijoshi758]

Thank you!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

You're welcome Susan!

[@jenniferhahn7806]

I overwinter my container strawberries in an enclosed unheated porch where I water once per week to keep the roots from drying out. (Same thing with raspberries) I'm zone 7 and the porch usually stays 5-10 degrees warmer than outside and so far that has worked for me. Once we are past freezing temps in the overnight, mid 40's, I put them outside. Then when I get a chance I clean out the mulch and weeds, sprinkle with organic berry fertilizer (berry-tone from Espoma) add a thin coat of fresh potting soil over it and just try to make sure they get some water most days. If its raining during the week I leave them alone. If no rain I water lightly once a day, not a soaking, like a short shower. I have to say I have not gotten great berries, they seem small to me. However when i am watering them over the winter I notice whatever water runs out of the pot is light brown so I worry the soil is getting depleted and they need a bit when they get going again in the spring. Mine are everbearing though. I don't know. I find the raspberries to be lower maintenance but I haven't given up!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hi Jennifer, yeah, watering can wash the soil of nutrients and organic matter, for sure. Even if they go a little dry in the winter, its not that bad. With no active foliage, they shouldn't need more than 1 or 2 waterings...

[@jenniferhahn7806]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Thanks for your reply! I dunno, the leaves stay green on mine through the winter, they just don't grow at all. Kind of like a winter lawn. So I figure we get some precipitation most weeks in winter (pretty rainy this year) and was trying to mimic that. Anyway I picked up some new plants and am hoping for a better harvest this year!

[@ltgemini1599]

Mine are brought into an unheated garage. I insulate the pots and leave the dead foliage. I rarely water and try to avoid the crowns.

[@DebRoo11]

Question... If the plants need to be replaced every few years, how do we do this without being without a crop for a year? Do we root runners and save them.over winter or maybe replace old plants in fall before winter etc.? How do we time this so that we get a good crop each year continuously? 🤔 Thanks for the video!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Deb, great question. Yes, essentially you either have multiple beds at different ages, or you have a set of new plants ready to go on the final year of the current patch.

[@sreer9466]

Your videos are excellent. This is my first year of gardening. I have a small doubt, i have planted my runners now. As per your recommendation i need to prune the flowers this year so that the roots and leaves grow. In my region i have pretty good winter so i need to prune all leaves during early spring. Do the leaves grow back like how they were before pruning?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks so much! For pruning, only the dead leaves are pruned. You should see new leaves forming as soon as your last frost date approaches. I don't cut the flowers off, I've found it doesn't make a huge difference if you can fall fertilize/amend.

[@steveott1369]

Hey, Jeff. Great info as always. Am trying some Evie 2 day neutral this year in zone 5b. I saw on a university ag YT video that you grow them as annuals? Any thoughts?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Steve, yeah, in zone 5, that's not unheard of. Any variety really. Such a short season. Really tough though because its in that 2nd year when you really spike that production. I'd always try to overwinter.

[@randthor9344]

Love this channel

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks so much! 🙂

[@waynesell3681]

Sure like strawberries. My strawberrys ran out of steam, starting over. Looking forward to some new plants going to grow in grow bags. Thanks for a great video Jeff!

[@shirleyk623]

I'm starting a new green stalk in full sun for my strawberries. My existing plants have been in the shade. Should I gradually introduce them to the sun? I don't want to fry them by putting them in the sun right away. Thanks for the help.🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Shirley, if the plants are hardened off and outside, going straight to the sun shouldn't be an issue.

[@chezelleconroy2951]

So helpful!

[@lmullens75]

I gave our June bearing strawberries some bloom booster fertilizer early in the season, but now I regret it. We had tons and tons of tiny little strawberries because they bloomed TOO much. 🤦‍♀️ And mine were 2nd year plants that we hadn’t thinned out, so competing for nutrients. Here in Oklahoma, that variety is already finished producing for me. 🫣

[@lisaburger4744]

This is my first time with growing strawberries. I have them in a raised bed and they are already making runners. Do I let the runners grow? Or do I remove them so the plants will fruit? Mine are June-bearing. Thank you!!

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hey Lisa, unless you need new strawberry plants or want to expand/densify the patch, cut them off: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipbaiHSAr8R-oaMsi=6WPdTyfdqrDQ4dsi

[@lisaburger4744]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms I definitely have enough for this bed, so I’ll cut them off this year while I make another bed for more. Thank you for your prompt response!! I really enjoy your videos. 😀

[@fishingwithfilitsa]

`Very beautiful👍👍

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Thanks! 🙂

[@BrusePerron]

Nice video

[@grenwood6551]

i have to move and clean up my sad patch of strawberries this year. i'm hoping i can move them back to the larger bed next year or the year after. its a large old raised bed with good afternoon sun under a birch tree. a few years ago there were 2 different blights that affected my area my patch was only marginaly affected by one however i over mulched that winter and lost a lot of my adult plants around the same time (most were 4/5 year old plants). last year the weather drowned most of my garden including container plants. (about a years worth of rain in a month and it didn't stop there) so i don't expect much of a harvest this year even if i leave them in place. in summery this is going to be a transitional season for my garden and me as i'm also seeking a new place of employment. at least i have time to focus on my plants. if i think about it i'll give a update on my strawberries move in autumn.

[@taschabelle798]

I just bought four everbearing strawberry plants. They're beginning to flower and look fairly established. Would you say this is their first year, or do garden centres sell berry plants in their second year and ready to produce fully?

[@tobruz]

Can I remove my plants from the baskets for the winter and store them in a smaller pot submerged in the soil for the next spring and replant in the baskets?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

That's a lot of replanting...covering the baskets or a cold-storage option might be less work.

[@brandyjaques6865]

Thanks for the awesome video! I need help please? My last frost date is approaching, but we’ve had a lot of 70 degree days and frost or freeze nights even last night, my plants are 2nd or 3rd year, but not flowering can I fertilize now? I only have a few plants. I recently just covered them with a very light screen. I saved them from a strawberry patch I had to move year before last. I’ve gotten like 1-3 berries in 7 years. They didn’t flower last year or the year before. I’m thinking I either overwatered them or over fertilized them. Thanks for any help!

[@brandyjaques6865]

And from what I can gather, they are just garden strawberries grown here in zone 5b. Thanks so much!

[@SarahBahou]

Deer ate the leaves 🍃 off my strawberries 🍓 what should I do to try to keep them alive? Or start over?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Sorry to hear that Sarah. Usually, the plants can recover and send out new foliage. I'd give them a chance first.

[@SarahBahou]

Thanks so much!!

[@michaeldufresne9428]

Any idea how to keep the doodle bugs/pill bugs off of my strawberries? At least half of my berries have been lost to them so far.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yeah, they REALLY like to munch on the berries....Getting rid of moisture on the bed surface helps as does spraying with rosemary, oregano, citronella, citrus, cinnamon, tea tree, and peppermint solutions. They hate all of those things.

[@123gyra123]

If I keep a netting over my growing strawberry plants, do I have to hand pollinate them?

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Depends on how fine the netting is...

[@jaxntax5509]

I have very heavy blooms already on my plants as I started getting eruption the 10th of March

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Perfect! What variety?

[@jaxntax5509]

@TheRipeTomatoFarms I have Coho Quinalt and shortcake currently but those are June my ever bearing are Cascade Sunrise and Quinalt I also have a white ( White Dream ) but I do not think any of those have buds yet.

[@blibertinerealm8549]

Do you bring the strawberries in containers into a shed or garage to protect them during the winter? Can they survive otherwise?

[@doulabug2]

I’m in NC-Zone 8A and I left my raised garden bed outside during the winter and kept it covered with the opaque cover it came with. For my berries in pots, I brought them inside to my unheated sunroom. They all survived much to my surprise. 😊

[@janw491]

What type of soil is best for strawberries and best location❓

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Freely-draining but really high in organic matter. Neutral pH, full sun.

[@rosalindhb]

I mixed my varieties, so I would get a year round harvest. So I guess I messed up and don't know when to fertilizer now. 🙃

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

If that's the case Rosalin, either go super low dose, or amend with seaweed/compost, and then make sure to feed heavy in the fall! :-)

[@MyFavoriteColorIsBLUE]

Mine are flowering. Is it to late to fertilize them?

[@dazaichan9970]

My small berrie plants are kinda getting scorched , not sure how much sun they actually need though

[@i5usko]

What variety are those extreme cone type, If from seed what lineage? Do they have a unique flavor? I lose a lot of mine in zone 6. They have major rot issues in late winter and can also easily dry out. Really a huge pain. Unfortunately its the ones that are hard to keep alive that taste the best. I want to breed them to increase vigor and flavor but my stupid job is always busiest in the spring. I expanded my garden too much this year and cant find the time. I can't believe the bad tasting ones grow like weeds without help at all, so frustrating. Plus the pest pressure is off the charts for these berries. Easy to grow, laughable.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Hi, those particular ones were originally 'Berries Galore'.....a couple runners held back and grown started producing this more elongated fruits!

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

Mine died off and then sprouted again this spring and then died off days later. :( I took my mulch off too soon and they got zapped.

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Yeah, that's common Vicky. Sorry to hear that. Its tricky when removing that top mulch in really cold climates.

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

Thanks! am sprouting new ones because just like the garlic I finally mastered, I am not quitting. 😁

[@vickyannpaintingwithoils]

@@TheRipeTomatoFarms Jeff you are going to love this! I went out this morning to tend to my chickens and goats, and check the garden beds. All was well, so I came in and had my coffee. I knew I needed to fertilize my pea plants (they are getting huge!). When I scanned the table bed where I had my strawberries, there were a whole bunch of small strawberry sprouts around the bed! A small bit were there before, but I wasn't sure if it was weed or not so I just left them, and those are now true leaves! I am so excited. I was taking a seed packet to reseed them in the bed, and now I changed my mind. So cool!

[@derekcox6531]

All my plants died off again.🙇🏻‍♂️ I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong here in southern alberta. Seems like every year my strawberry plants just freeze solid and die.

[@yhangsalas]

I Love strawberry, but my mine here in the philippines some of my strawberry dying because of super hot in here..

[@brenthobbs8469]

Now tell me how the heck to keep from waking up each morning to bird peck marks in all my half ripe strawberries?!?!

[@davidkoch733]

some have painted small rocks red as to confuse the birds and it may stop them.

[@ethansengineering911]

Well, I just fertilize my strawberries😂😑

[@TheRipeTomatoFarms]

Ha ha it won't exactly kill the plants.... So no biggie...... Just not great for those June harvests