Many people ask why we replant every year...well, it's those pesky weeds. No matter how much time we spend out in the field pulling them, after two or three years the thistles and dandelions start to overpower the strawberry plants. Each year, we plant a section of new strawberry plants so that a replacement will be ready for the section we have to plow under. It is fairly easy to plant the new plants, but it is time consuming to take care of them. They need a lot of watering, weeding, and de-blossoming. In their first year, we want the plant to put its' energy into growing runners instead of fruit, so every week in June and July we walk through the new plants and snip off the blossoms. Sometimes, we find a ripe fruit from a blossom missed earlier, and then it is a sweet treat in our work routine. The children are a great help in de-blossoming -- I think it is easier for them than for me, because they are closer to the ground:)
Many people ask why we replant every year...well, it's those pesky weeds. No matter how much time we spend out in the field pulling them, after two or three years the thistles and dandelions start to overpower the strawberry plants. Each year, we plant a section of new strawberry plants so that a replacement will be ready for the section we have to plow under. It is fairly easy to plant the new plants, but it is time consuming to take care of them. They need a lot of watering, weeding, and de-blossoming. In their first year, we want the plant to put its' energy into growing runners instead of fruit, so every week in June and July we walk through the new plants and snip off the blossoms. Sometimes, we find a ripe fruit from a blossom missed earlier, and then it is a sweet treat in our work routine. The children are a great help in de-blossoming -- I think it is easier for them than for me, because they are closer to the ground:)
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