Strawberries advice

[Jeff]

Late spring, Tammy purchased a flat of near dead June bearing strawberry plants.  I planted them in a raised bed here at the cabin, and have been babying them all summer.  Keeping them weeded, fed and watered. The plants have done amazing.  I have never grown strawberries, and being here in the u.p., I am not sure exactly how to prepare them for winter. I feel they should be mulched, as early snow may not appear before very low temps.  

This aint straw country, so not sure where or if I can get it locally. Is there something I could use for a natural winter mulch I might find in da nort woods? 



 

 

[doc henderson]

when the leaves die, they will offer some mulch.  what about a plastic tunnel?  maybe in the spring to start the plant growing season.  any leaves to rake up and put on there.  some blowers will reverse and vacuum and shred stuff like leaves.  old confer needles.  be good for the soil as well, as well as keeping the roots from getting bit.  getting the "throwing out ideas" started!   8)

[thecfarm]

We had them here for a couple years. We never did anything to them.
Seem like every animal for the square 40 miles would come and eat them.  :(
We have a U pick about 10 minutes away. Easier to pay and pick. Instead of fight the animals and pick.

[Chuck White]

My Sister-in-Law was always being pestered by Cedar Waxwings, raiding her strawberry patch, then learned a trick to deter them.

Lay out a bunch (a couple hands full) of small dime-size pebbles and spraypaint them bright red and scatter them in and around the strawberry bed to discourage the birds.

Otherwise, you can use bird netting, but watch out for the Chipmunks too!

[21incher]

The deer take care of mine. They eat them to the ground and somehow the plants come back in the spring. This year chipmunks got most of my berries 

[thecfarm]

My Father set a leg hold trap. Yep, caught a fox raiding the strawberries. A course the fox went around and round and cleared off a 3-4-foot circle of strawberries.

[Jeff]

This is going to be fun! :D

[SwampDonkey]

Between the red foxes and the cedar waxwings..........  : Only solution to that is floating fabric in the spring, plus you will get berries 2 weeks sooner. Cedar waxwings will eat them with you standing over them to. :D I have a crazy fox here that will probably do the same, he's on the tame side, but not to let you pet him. I have observed them waxwings out in the woods, and they really go for wild strawberries growing on the shoulder of woods roads.

Got some wild berries here with blooms even, by the small garden. Noticed yesterday when cleaning the garden beds. Strange. There are quite a few wild ones on that section of lawn, ground is shallow there.

As to the plants, they are mighty tough. I dug and froze over winter, bare rooted plants. Had them in grocery bags. Actually forgot about them, and planted them 3 years later and they grew. :D Tough!

[SwampDonkey]

Those wild strawberry plants set runners into my cedar mulch like weeds. :D