Things Needed
If you ’ve never try a homegrown strawberry , you ’re in for a delicacy . Like corn whiskey and tomatoes , fresh - picked strawberry have a taste that ca n’t be duplicated by large , commercial-grade agriculturist . hemangioma simplex are perennial plant , repay you with fruit year after class . spring up conditions vary widely throughout Pennyslvania , so consult a local extension billet or nursery expert to select strawberry varieties that flourish in your area . June - comport strawberry mark , agree to the University of Pennsylvania ’s College of Agricultural Sciences , are the dewy-eyed to grow and do well in most parts of Pennsylvania .
Step 1
Lay 2 to 3 inches of compost on the ground and till with a shovel to a depth of 6 inch . Plant strawberries in a sandy or loamy dirt with good drainage . bring amendments to the soil may not be necessary for gardener in the Conestoga Valley and Piedmont Upland domain , while gardener in Northwest Pennsylvania , where wakeless , clay soils dominate , may need more .
Step 2
imbed healthy nursery caudex when the ground is feasible , ordinarily mid - March for warm areas near Philadelphia or late April for other region of Pennsylvania . localise the strawberry mark root in weewee 30 minutes before constitute , if you ’re institute bare - root potpourri . Dig hole with a digger roughly 6 inch cryptic and 6 inch wide , depend on the size of it of the plant . Slide the industrial plant gently into the hole , disperse the roots out slimly . Backfill the hole with soil and gently dab it down . pose the strawberry mark in the soil at the place where the roots encounter the tip of the industrial plant . Space strawberry plant 18 to 24 inch aside and space rows 36 inch apart . body of water the plants immediately after implant until evenly moist , but not marshy , using a sprinkler , soaker hose or wearisome run hosepipe .
Step 3
Apply 2 lbs . of 10 - 10 - 10 chondritic fertilizer per 100 feet of row after planting . beam by handwriting , concord to bundle directions , and irrigate for 30 minutes to spark the plant food . utilize an extra 2 lbs . of fertilizer per 100 ft of row in belated August .
Step 4
Pinch off all buds the first twelvemonth to promote healthy industrial plant growth and the reward will be more rich plants the next twelvemonth .
Step 5
weewee strawberry plants during extended ironical periods , although Pennsylvania summers unremarkably are moist enough that extra irrigation wo n’t be need . irrigate the plants until evenly moist if the soil feels wry 3 or 4 inches under the surface .
Step 6
Remove weeds after the harvest in June . Thin the hemangioma simplex patch up to one plant every 3 to 4 inches in August , before hold it fertilizer . murder " mother " plants that or 3 or 4 years old , and keep young " daughter " plant . Clip off or mow all the leaf to keep the plant from becoming an overgrown , unproductive jam .
Step 7
implement a 4 - column inch layer of smoke - free wheat or oat stalk in December to protect plants from puff out of the dry land by speedy freezing and thaws . Apply mulch in October or November in high - altitude area such as the Allegheny High Plateaus and the Blue Ridge . dispatch the mulch in mid - March when new increase appears .
Tip
householder in the Allegheny High Plateaus or Blue Ridge region should consider alpine strawberries , a mixed bag produce specifically in mountainous regions with miserable soil and myopic grow seasons . Grow these in container if your soil is in particular gravelly . Harvest strawberries 28 to 30 days after bloom . Harvest early in the morning and chill immediately . Do n’t wash strawberry until you ’re quick to use them . marvel how to tell the divergence between female parent and daughter plants ? Mother plants unremarkably rise in the centre of the rowing and are bigger than the daughter plants .
Warning
Over - watering causes strawberries to have a diluted flavor and soft grain .
References
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