Are you thinking about putting in strawberry bed this spring? Here are some hints.

      Now yesterday I talked about strawberries.  Are you thinking of putting in a strawberry bed?  I will have strawberry plants here for you this spring.  Helpful hints or advise:  Strawberries need to be weed free.  It is hard for them to compete with weeds, so be thinking how you can put them in the garden and keep the weeds down.  Mulching, plastic, straw( that is weed free if that is possible), grass clippings, with newspapers or cardboard under the mulch.  Many different ways to keep the weeds down, so give that some thought. 
It takes one plant every 12"-18"  so there is room for the runners to grow and set out new plants.
Question I am asked how many plants do I need?
   The consensus among the experts estimates about 6 nicely producing strawberry plants per person per year, based on fresh consumption. If you are going to be freezing them, making jellies or jams or processing for syrup, you should at least double the number of plants, and possibly triple that number. Take into account the number of friends and family members who will want some fresh strawberries for themselves, and the kids or grandkids and “big” kids who may be visiting and raiding your strawberry patch. A lot of strawberry gardeners make gifts of jellies, jams and syrups. If you have a giving nature, plant a few more plants. This is where you might want to do some advance planning for what you’d like to do with your home-grown strawberries and ensure that you have the necessary equipment, such as canners, jars, freezer containers, etc. when your berries start coming off the bushes.
 
Here are some sites on planting and growing strawberries.  I don't want to redesign the wheel so just pass on the information. 
 
http://www.gardening-guides.com/fruits/planting-strawberries.php
http://strawberryplants.org/2010/05/growing-strawberries/#PSP
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/yard-and-garden-growing-strawberries
 
Give strawberries some thought in the garden, till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty