How to Grow Strawberries in Your Garden

By Biz Reynolds
Published on June 14, 2010
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Strawberries ready to be picked.
Strawberries ready to be picked.
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Fresh strawberries, straight from the garden, are a great summer treat.
Fresh strawberries, straight from the garden, are a great summer treat.
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New spring growth tells you that great-tasting strawberries are on the way.
New spring growth tells you that great-tasting strawberries are on the way.
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A strawberry blossom is nearly as beautiful as the ripe, red strawberry it will produce.
A strawberry blossom is nearly as beautiful as the ripe, red strawberry it will produce.
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Notice how the plant puts out new runners, and trim some. Too many will crowd the patch.
Notice how the plant puts out new runners, and trim some. Too many will crowd the patch.

Side Bar: U-Pick Strawberries and Growing Tips

Strawberries – everyone’s favorite fruit – are welcome heralds of summer, and they are so easy to grow in a garden, flower bed, or any patch of sandy soil – even in a patio pot.

Strawberry plants are inexpensive and available in most local nurseries and mail-order garden catalogs. Any gardener will have success growing the fruit if she follows a few simple rules.

Why grow your own? Nothing is more pleasant than getting up early on a clear sunny morning, wandering outside while a mockingbird sings, and finding five or six dewy, sparkling red berries with which to decorate your morning bowl of cereal. The flavor of fresh berries is rich, pure and crisp.

Several years ago when my U-Pick berry patch in Johnson County, Missouri, was at its height of popularity, good store-bought commercial berries were hard to find. The overly large cone-shaped Driscoll variety, widely available at most grocery stores, lacked flavor and had a crunchy texture making it difficult to believe that these were even an edible food. Since then, producers have come a long way in improving the commercial strawberry, and although still overly firm (necessary for successful shipping), the flavor has improved. However, outstanding flavor, convenience, cost, quality and stellar health benefits are all good reasons for cultivating your own patch, large or small.

What variety?

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