How to plant and care for strawberry plants?

When you see the price of a raft of strawberries in the shops, growing them yourself can be very economical. And then, what a joy to be able to pick them directly from your garden with the certainty that they're organic! As I often say to people around me, I do my shopping directly from my garden, and it's a real feeling of accomplishment to do it yourself. But how do you get good strawberries? Here's the technique I've put in place (with the help of my rabbit Charlotte) that gives me great results!

When to plant strawberry plants

Well, make no mistake: you don't plant strawberry plants in spring (with a few exceptions)! Although garden centres offer a multitude of plants at this time of year, the best time to plant your strawberry plants is generally in autumn. Putting strawberry plants in the ground in September or October allows them to root throughout the winter, and so produce much more in the spring. If you plant your strawberry plants around March, you'll have a few strawberries, but the harvest will still be fairly small. What's more, you run the risk of having to water them regularly or they'll die back in the heat of summer! There is, however, an exception for certain remontant varieties which produce in August. In this case, spring planting is recommended.

Which strawberry varieties to choose?

For strawberry plants, there are remontant and non-remontant varieties:

• The remontant varieties allow for more spread-out production thanks to several flowerings in the same vegetative cycle. In plain English, you'll be able to harvest strawberries for several months if you opt for this type of variety. However, the fruit is generally smaller than for remontant strawberries. There's nothing better than pecking at them all summer long or eating them in a refreshing fruit salad!
• Non-remontant varieties produce a huge amount of fruit over a short period. Given their short shelf life, they are generally used for baking or to make good homemade jams.

When I installed my bed of strawberry plants, I chose 12 different varieties, including 6 remontant and 6 non-remontant varieties. Everything is placed in an area of +/- 6 square metres. 12 plants for such an area may not seem like much, but you'll see that's not the case at all.

Where and how to plant strawberry plants

Before planting strawberry plants, you should already start by determining their future location. Living in Belgium, I for one chose a very sunny location. If you live in the South of France, I'd recommend a spot that's slightly shadier than mine, but still offers a good amount of sunshine. You could, for example, designate an area of your garden for strawberries. For my part, I created an area of +/- 1.2 x 5m with a slight slope.

Why plant on a slope or mound?

If you live in a wetter region such as Belgium, planting your strawberry plants in slightly sloping ground or at the top of a small mound is an almost mandatory criterion. Bear in mind that strawberries rot if there is too much moisture. These two techniques make it easier to evacuate excess water and avoid any stagnant water phenomena.

Strawberry plants multiply very quickly...

Once the area had been created, it was time to plant. I spaced my 12 plants out more or less evenly, leaving a distance of 30 cm from the edges. I then dug a hole and placed each plant in the ground. The area looks empty... but wait a year and we'll talk about it again! The first year, you won't have a very abundant harvest, but the following year, prepare your stomach! Strawberry plants multiply very quickly. Once the fruiting period is over as autumn approaches, they will produce runners. These stems, which grow from the mother plant, will form new strawberry plants that will eventually cover the entire area you've chosen for your strawberry patch. Don't believe me? Take a look!

2 months later...

5 months later...

One year later...

Should strawberry plants be mulched?

In English, a strawberry is called a strawberry. If we translate this term literally, we would say "strawberry". So there's no need to tell you that yes, you should mulch your strawberry plants. This keeps the soil moist and prevents the strawberries from coming into direct contact with the soil, which, if too damp, could cause them to rot. But what to mulch them with?

Some people opt for plastic film, which proves practical in the short term. However, as a permaculturalist, I only use plant matter: straw, the thorns from my Christmas tree, which add a certain acidity appreciated by the strawberry plants... but also the litter from my dwarf rabbit, which also serves to nourish the soil, which needs to be rich to have good strawberries. Let me explain!

Associating strawberry plants... with a rabbit!

Garlic, borage or lettuce are among the plants that offer a favourable association with strawberry plants. In fact, they help to repel a few pests or even encourage their growth. Here, I'm going to tell you about another type of association that works like a charm: the beneficial effects of a rabbit on strawberry plants. Let me explain!

I'd like to introduce you to Charlotte, my little dwarf rabbit who, as well as being a very familiar little animal, allows me to have pretty strawberries every year. I use her bedding made from straw and pellets, which I throw out every week right in the middle of my strawberry plants. The advantage of these little wood pellets is that they are entirely natural. They are made from compacted wood, which absorbs the rabbit's urine. Once they've been 'filled', the pellets decompose and settle easily between each strawberry plant, enriching the soil with nitrogen and other nutrients needed for your strawberries to grow properly. When it comes to hygiene, however, I avoid throwing the litter into the strawberry plants from June to September, during the harvest period.

Another advantage of pellets: I've noticed that the slug population has virtually disappeared since I've been using this method. I think that once decompacted, the pellets stick to the gastropods, preventing them from moving around properly. I'm waiting to confirm this once the strawberries are ready to pick. One final point: it's important to remember that rabbit urine is basic (not acidic), and strawberry plants like more acidic soil. That's why I regularly add conifer (fir) thorns to the strawberry plants. In general, these are simply the ones that come from the Christmas tree... Everything gets recycled, nothing gets lost!

Beware of original techniques!

I often see photos of magnificent strawberry plant structures pass by on the Internet. I'm thinking, for example, of the one below, made using old gutters in which strawberry plants are placed. It's beautiful, but frankly not very practical. If you opt for this type of structure, you'll have to water your strawberry plants very often, otherwise they'll dry out very quickly and end up dying. So go for traditional techniques, but if you can think of an excellent, simple and effective technique for growing strawberries, don't hesitate to share it in the comments!