It’s almost impossible to find a person who doesn’t like strawberry. It’s one of the most popular berries all over the globe. Delicious jam, tasty pie, yummy French toast bake, and many other dishes make people love this juicy fruit. The owners of gardens prefer to grow the plant by themselves. The berries which are home-grown differ greatly from the bought samples. However, if you are going to savor strawberries right off the vine, you should make some efforts.

Plant types

The first thing you should take into consideration is that there are various types of plants. They differ in taste, color, and size. The main principle to distinguish varieties is the time of bearing. There are 3 main types:

• June bearing;
• Everbearing;
• Day-neutral.

The most popular kinds are Albion, Tillamook, Northeaster, Elsanta, and Jewel.

How to start

Every gardener knows that it’s possible to grow seedlings from seeds or from starters. Every method has its pluses and minuses. If you are a beginner gardener, it’s better to buy plants or bare roots. Yet, if you want to start from seeds, you have to plant them directly in the garden. No matter what way you choose, you should keep in mind that you get the first fruits only in a year. The secret of ample harvest is to remove all the flowers for the first year.

Where to start

It’s possible to grow seedlings both in containers or gardens. No matter which one you choose, it’s necessary to prepare proper soil. You can use special mixtures. When it comes to strawberries, it can be planted in any type of soil. You have to pay attention to such features as drainage, pH level, and direct sunlight.

Berries require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. The most preferable variant is loam. The desirable pH level is between 5,5 and 7. You have to choose a compost-enriched and well-drained site. It’s not a good idea to plant seedling on the ground where recently had been already strawberry, tomatoes, or peppers.

How to maintain

It’s important to take care of your plants. It’s necessary to keep the soil temperature cool. You should prefer weeding. It’s not a good idea to use chemicals. The perfect variant is landscape fabric. Also, the experienced gardeners advise mulching between plants.

As for the watering, you should provide 1 to 2 inches of water per week. The seedling tolerates temperature above 20 degrees. The perfect temperature is about 70 degrees. You should be careful with fertilizing, If you add too many fertilizers, you get fewer fruits.

To deter slugs, it’s recommended to spread sand between the samples. If you need to get rid of big bugs, chemicals are not the best choice. It’s better to spray the seedlings with garlic and neem seed oil.

To sum it up, it should be mentioned that home-grown strawberry is not so difficult as it may seem. You have to follow above-mentioned tips and the result will be not long in coming.