How to prepare a bed for strawberries in the fall

It is difficult to find a person who would not like strawberries and it is also difficult to find a garden where this berry would not grow. Strawberries are grown everywhere in open areas of land and even in greenhouses. Many varieties allow you to choose plants with the most preferred taste characteristics of berries and a long fruiting period. Regular and remontant strawberry varieties are grown in various ways, however, the quality and quantity of the crop largely depends on the fertility of the soil and the place of cultivation. That is why preparing a bed for strawberries is a responsible and very important matter. We will talk about how to properly prepare the soil and how best to form ridges in the proposed article.

The best place for strawberries

It is recommended to grow strawberries only in sunny areas of the earth. Shade and strong winds can significantly reduce crop yields. Preferably, the site should be flat, without strong differences in height and holes. A slight slope of the ridges is acceptable, while its direction will in a certain way affect the quality and early maturity of the crop:

• on the southern slopes, strawberries ripen very early and amicably, their taste is less sour;
• on the northern slopes, the crop ripening period is long, but the berries are always larger;
• the best is the placement of ridges from east to west.

It will not work to grow strawberries in the lowlands, since the increased soil moisture provokes active growth of foliage and reduces the mass of berries. Fungal and viral, putrefactive diseases actively develop in humid conditions, which can even lead to the extinction of the culture.

To protect strawberries from the winds, some farmers recommend forming beds along fences or building walls. You can also protect the beds from the wind by growing tall shrubs or annual crops. However, this method of protecting strawberries cannot be used in places with a high level of humidity, since putrefactive diseases successfully develop under conditions of dampness and poor air circulation. Also, when constructing a wind barrier, it is necessary to exclude the possible shading of beds with strawberries.

Crop rotation rules and the choice of neighbors for strawberries

For every culture, there are good and bad predecessors. For strawberries, radishes, peas, garlic, parsley, beans are good predecessors. You can also form ridges in the place where carrots, celery, bulbous flowers, turnips used to grow. It is not recommended to plant strawberries in places where nightshade crops, cucumbers or sunflowers used to grow.

Slugs can be a threat to strawberries in the ridges. For a preventive fight against them, you can choose sage or parsley as a neighbor for strawberries, they will scare away this voracious pest. Also favorable neighbors for berry crops are onions, beets, radishes.

Soil Preparation

Strawberries are quite unpretentious to the composition of the soil. It can grow on almost any soil, with the exception of sandstones. Loamy soils are considered the most favorable for cultivation. At the same time, the fertility of the soil increases the yield and improves the quality of the berries.

The acidity of the soil in the beds for strawberries should be medium, about 5-5,5 pH. If the indicator exceeds the specified limits, then the soil should be limed. To do this, it is necessary to add dolomite flour, slaked lime or cement dust to the soil. It is important to know that strawberries perceive fresh lime poorly: its roots slow down their growth. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the land by liming in advance 1-2 years before planting strawberry bushes.

Fertilizers in the soil for growing strawberries should also be applied in advance:

• if it is supposed to plant strawberries in the spring, then you need to fertilize the soil in the fall;
• if planting is planned in August, then fertilizers are applied to the soil at the beginning of the summer season.

For normal growth and fruiting, strawberries need a whole complex of organic and mineral substances. Manure is applied while digging the soil. The volume of fertilizer should be 5-6 kg/m². Superphosphate (50 g), potassium chloride (15 g) and ammonium sulfate (25 g) are sprinkled over the dug up soil and covered with a rake. The depth of digging for planting strawberries should be at least 20 cm.

How to prepare beds for strawberries in the fall

There are a huge number of different ways to form ridges for strawberries. So, ordinary bulk, high, decorative ridges and ridges under agrofibre are often used. Each type of beds has its own advantages and characteristics. Below in the article we will try to talk in detail about how to prepare a bed for strawberries using the most well-known technologies.

Low fill ridges

This method of forming ridges is most often used by conservative gardeners. It does not require financial costs for the purchase of material and is easily feasible on our own. For understanding, this technology can be described in several stages:

• The soil is dug up with fertilizer application.
• Ridges are formed, dividing the dug-up area with furrows. If it is planned to grow strawberries in a single row, then the width of the ridge can be 20 cm, if in two rows, then at least 50 cm.
• The height of the bed above the level of the furrow should be at least 20 cm. This will allow storm water not to stagnate in the thickness of the soil.
• Furrows between the ridges are recommended to be made 60-80 cm wide.
• Strawberries are planted on ready-made beds according to a single-line or two-line scheme. Recommended distances and an example of such landings can be seen below in the photo.

Low bulk ridges should always be made in the form of a trapezoid. This will allow the earth to not crumble from the edges. The disadvantages of this scheme for the formation of ridges are:

• contact of berries with the soil, as a result of which they become contaminated;
• the low location of the beds complicates the process of cultivating the land;
• berries, in contact with wet soil, can rot.

However, this method is the only right solution for areas with a high level of groundwater.

After strawberries are planted on the prepared ridges, open areas of the soil must be mulched. This will allow you to keep moisture in the soil as long as possible after each watering, and partially prevent contamination and rotting of the berries. Straw or sawdust can be used as mulch. Spruce branches are also great for mulching strawberries: they repel slugs, prevent weeds from sprouting, and give the berries a special, rich flavor.

High bed

High beds for strawberries are distinguished by their decorative effect and ease of maintenance. The principle of their creation is that the beds are not limited by furrows, but by artificially created fences. You can create high ridges by following these steps:

1. A trench is dug in the ground with a width of 40 to 80 cm and a depth of 20-40 cm. The width of the trench should correspond to the width of the beds.
2. A frame made of boards, pieces of slate, brick or other materials is installed along the perimeter of the trench. The height of the frame can vary from 30 to 80 cm. The higher the bed, the more convenient it will be to take care of the plants.
3. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the bed for strawberries. This may be a mound of expanded clay, tree branches, remnants of lumber. The recommended thickness of this layer is 15-20 cm.
4. A layer of fallen leaves, straw, weeds is poured over the drainage. This layer during the decay process will serve as an additional source of organic matter for strawberry nutrition.
5. Decomposed manure, peat or compost should be the next layer of a high bed.
6. After laying all the components, the frame of a high bed for strawberries is filled with nutrient soil and lightly rammed.
7. You can plant strawberries on a high bed in 2-4 rows. The number of rows depends on the width of the structure.

High beds for strawberries, in addition to ease of maintenance and aesthetics, have a number of other significant advantages:

• the drainage layer will reliably protect plants from flooding, which makes it possible to place such structures for growing strawberries even in low-lying places;
• high beds can be an excellent option in areas with a strong elevation difference;
• organic matter in the process of decay releases heat and additionally warms up the roots of strawberries from the inside;
• snow melts quickly on high beds, which allows you to get an early harvest of berries;
• high beds for strawberries allow you to grow a heat-loving crop in the northern regions;
• paths between high beds do not need to be weeded. Weeds can be mowed with a trimmer or lay out free space with small stones, paving slabs.

Among the disadvantages of this technology, of course, one should highlight the financial costs for the purchase of material and the complexity of creating a structure. You can see the process of creating high breasts and hear the comments of an experienced farmer on the video:

Beds under agrofibre

This technology for creating beds for strawberries is a relative novelty, but due to its many advantages, over time it is gaining an increasing number of adherents among beginners and experienced gardeners. The technology is based on the use of a special shelter – black agrofibre. It warms the roots of plants, prevents contact of berries with damp soil, and eliminates the need to weed the beds. Breathable material acts as a mulch. It freely passes moisture and air.

Preparing a bed for planting strawberries using agrofibre consists of the following steps:

• On a plot of land mark the location of future ridges.
• The soil is dug up with the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers.
• They form trapezoidal beds for strawberries with a width of 50 to 80 cm. Their height can vary from 20 to 50 cm. The edges of such high ridges will be covered with material, so that the soil will not crumble when the wind blows or the flow of storm water flows.
• Black agrofibre is laid over the ridges with a solid carpet, covering, including furrows. The edges of the agrofibre are fixed with metal pins or staples. Additionally, you can press the material in the furrows with stones or an earth embankment.
• On the surface of the agrofibre, markings are made on how it is subsequently planned to place strawberry bushes in the garden.
• In the designated places on the fiber, cuts are made into which strawberry bushes are planted.

Such a technology for creating beds for strawberries at first glance may seem rather complicated, but after watching the video clip and hearing the comments of the agrarian, it will surely become clear that this method of growing strawberries is not only very effective, but also quite simple:

Decorative vertical beds

In the absence of free space in the garden, many farmers are trying to grow strawberries in vertical beds. They not only save space, but also bring a “zest” to the design of the site.

A decorative bed for strawberries can be made from boards or from car tires, improvised materials. An example of such a strawberry garden is shown in the photo:

The complexity of creating such beds is only in the manufacture of boxes. Caring for strawberries with this method of growing is similar to that carried out in ordinary beds.

Pipes are widely used in creating decorative beds for strawberries. For example, by cutting a pipe along its entire length and sealing its ends, you can get an oblong container for plants, which is filled with nutrient soil and fixed to a wooden stand. This method allows you to grow a large number of plants on a small piece of land. The mobility of the structure, if necessary, allows you to move it. By analogy with pipes, you can make an oblong container from other improvised materials, such as boards.

Vertical beds can be made using pipes in another way. For this:

• Small holes are evenly cut out on the entire surface of the pipe, with a diameter of 3-5 cm.
• Another pipe (piece of hose) of smaller diameter is inserted inside the pipe. It is also necessary to make small holes on its surface through which moisture will flow to the roots of plants.
• The lower end of the inner and outer pipes must be hermetically sealed.
• Fill the internal space between pipes of different diameters with nutrient soil.
• Strawberry bushes are planted in the holes.
• Plants are watered by filling the inner hose with water.
• The necessary mineral fertilizers are added to the water for irrigation.

The excellent appearance of such decorative beds can be appreciated by viewing the photo:

An important advantage of pipe beds is mobility. So, strawberry beds in the fall with the advent of severe frosts can be moved to more favorable conditions, thereby preventing freezing. And if remontant varieties of continuous fruiting are grown in such mobile beds, then it is possible not only in summer, but also in winter to maintain favorable conditions for culture and collect tasty and healthy berries at the same time.

Conclusion

Thus, there are many ways to grow strawberries. At the same time, traditional open beds are no longer preferred by most diligent farmers, because by creating high beds, you can speed up the process of ripening the first berries, agrofibre will facilitate planting care, and decorative structures will save space on the site and decorate it. But no matter what way the farmer chooses to create beds, he must still follow the basic rules of crop rotation and soil preparation. After all, it will be very disappointing to put a lot of effort and effort into creating strawberry beds and get a meager harvest just because their location does not meet the requirements for growing crops. In general, every nuance in creating beds in a certain way will affect the intensity of fruiting and the quality of berries, so you need to approach this issue very carefully.