STRAWBERRIES

Once established, strawberry plants can produce berries well for up to three years. They perform best when harvested lightly the first year, but should fruit heavily the next two years. Strawberry plants produce the best yields in full sun with consistent watering. The sweetest thing about strawberries is that picking ripe berries often helps keep the plants fruiting. Strawberries can be consumed in any number of ways: fresh, in smoothies, preserves, pies and cakes, covered in sweets, or cooked and served over ice cream.

COMMON PESTS: Slugs, Spider Mites, Japanese Beetles

SUSCEPTIBLE TO: Gray Mold, Powdery Mildew

Cold stratify seeds by putting in a cold place like the freezer (not a deep freezer) this mimics the chilling effects winter would have on the seed

Sow the seeds thinly into moist seed starting trays and barely cover with soil mix

Keep in a bright sunny area or under grow lights allow 1- 6 weeks for germination and keep soil damp

Once strawberries grow three true full leaves you can transplant to a larger pot and begin hardening off which means gently exposing the plant to the outdoor elements

Once all warning off frost has passed you will be able to transplant outdoors into your garden bed in a sunny area

A mixture of compost and mulch for your garden bed is preferred

Climbing strawberries will need to be planted alongside a trellis or something for it to climb up - you can also try planting in hanging baskets

First true harvest won't come until the second year so it is recommended to pick new flowers off so that the plant can send energy to the roots and leaves to build a strong  and healthy root system for the year to follow