seeking advice to reclaim a strawberry bed

[Ginny]

Hi folks,

We bought a house this spring with a neglected strawberry patch. Its sprawling and weedy and spread over a 6x12 area or thereabouts, making it hard to pick. This year's berries were pretty sparse.

Ideally, I'd like rows or hills to allow my young one to pick without stepping on other plants and berries. I know strawberries send runners/sisters out, so I want to be cautious in how to restore some order with minimal damage to their natural spreading habit.

Ideas on how to reclaim the patch?

Recommendations on when to do the work? Now? Later this fall? Or wait until spring?

many thanks for your two cents.

Ginny in South Amherst, grateful for the previous owner's plantings

[Ted Wysocki]

Hello All,
Here is a suggestion:
I would start now by taking the runners that have not yet rooted and allow them to root onto small flower pots filled with a good potting soil fortified with compost and biochar ( aka horticultural charcoal ). once the plants are rooted, cut the vine to the mother plant. plastic cups work fine.  Move these daughter plants to a nursery area until the garden is prepped. Waer them with dilute water soluble fertilizer to encourage deep rooting.
To prep the garden, pull out all the vegetation in that 6 by 12 area, don't be too picky. let it rest for a week or 2. any weeds you missed will show.
Before the frost, I would shovel out the garden soil onto a tarp or durable plastic sheet to a depth of 8 to 12".
If you have rocks like I do ( Brimfield-Brookfield soil ) I screen it through a 1/2" hardware cloth.
Getting a soil test at UMASS- Amherst Agricultural Center would be wise.
Contact Dr. Geber for advice
Add to that screened soil, 10 gal. compost, and  5 to 10 gallons of  " charged " horticultural charcoal  less than 1/2 inch.
Urban gardeners have used Lump hardwood charcoal that is used for BBQ's. These gardeners then wet the charcoal with water and a few drops of baby shampoo or a biodegradable dish detergent before crushing it. They charge it up with a water soluble fertilizer. If the charcoal is too alkaline ( pH> 8.5)  then it can be adjusted with a little vinegar.
Supplements to be added based on soil analysis report  should correct any defficiencies.
Mix well and fill the excavated area.
Mound the soil to about 6 inches high rows with a rake orient the rows in a north south pattern to maximize sunlight.
The valleys between  the rows can be excavate down to provide soil for the mound, and a means of draining or irrigating the garden plot efficiently. fill valleys with wood chips and  top the rows that  are ~10- 12" wide . with about 2 " of woods chips.
Arrange the daughter plants in the final pattern on the rows about 6 to 8" apart and transplant before the frost.
Allow the new plants to freeze before covering them with straw for the winter.
 When the ground defrosts uncover the plants to expose them to the sun.
leave the straw as a mulch to keep the berries clean and prevent weeds.
Hope this helps.
Ted Wysocki Jr.-PVBI

> Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:40:22 -0700
> From: p...@ginnyhamilton.net
> To: growfoo...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: seeking advice to reclaim a strawberry bed

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