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

[Jeff]

It won't be long! I am in full defensive mode. Come on bear!! I'll take ya on!

[rusticretreater]

When they reach the end of the season, remove all the detritus to inhibit fungus /disease growth and mulch.  You might also want to put a cold frame around it for extra protection.

[21incher]

Mine just started  turning red and so far chipmunks have gotten every ripe one.

[Don P]

We've been having strawberries and whooped cream over chocolate woweee cake for the past couple of weeks, yum.

[NewYankeeSawmill]

I was astounded at what the white floating tunnel cover did for my raised bed gardens this/last year.
Granted our climates are very different, but I over-wintered lettuce in a raised bed by covering the thing with that row-cover material (pretty much Dec to Feb). We got down into the 20's here at the peak of winter, but nothing died off, and when the weather broke in the Spring the stuff that survived took off growing.
Seeing as you already have the raised bed and sides, I would try to wrap the entire thing in that material. It allows in plenty of sun and water, but keeps all the pests out. It's relatively cheap at my local garden supply house, too, I think 10yds was about 15 bucks? Just leave a flap so you can peel it back and access the berries.

[barbender]

Jeff, I'm picturing a good brawl coming between you and brother Mukwah! I'm thinking if you situate your game cam appropriately, we could get some good PPV sells...you in? "Brokaw vs Mukwah, Battle in the Berry Patch!"

[Magicman]

Ah fight between da Dam Bear and da Dam Builder.   

[sharp edge]

Jeff
       my berry patch looks just like yours,  I just hope Big Foot  doesn't see them.


              SE

[Jeff]

Jeff, I'm picturing a good brawl coming between you and brother Mukwah! I'm thinking if you situate your game cam appropriately, we could get some good PPV sells...you in? "Brokaw vs Mukwah, Battle in the Berry Patch!"

I have a live cam on the Garden area. My defences are an electric fence and dog hair, and the dogs that donated the hair, and Tammy. Tammy really wants those berries. 

[newoodguy78]

Well hopefully the critters got the message not mess with mama bears berries 
Can't blame her for wanting them, got a couple quarts from the neighbors the other day. Man they were delicious, juicy as can be. 

[thecfarm]

I worked for a you pick strawberry place one summer.
Nothing like a strawberry breakfast on a cool morning at 7am. We could eat all we wanted.

[NewYankeeSawmill]

We could eat all we wanted.

I hated it as a kid, but Mom would drag me around to all those kinds of places, because kids are closer to the ground than adults!    She would always say, they don't weigh you when you leave, so eat all you want! The one's we picked were for jam/jelly, you won't be getting any when we get home.

[SwampDonkey]

Had my first strawberries for dinner in a mixed fruit and yoghurt parfait.   

[Otis1]

I've heard that painting some small rocks bright red and scattering near your plants will help deter birds and rodents. Sort of like a decoy. Not sure if it actually works.

[SwampDonkey]

We get a good laugh these days, but wasn't fun at the time. Grandmother had just got her first freezer. Back in the beginning she didn't know about blanching veggies before freezing to keep their color. Well she instructed mom and her brother to go across the road to the fiddle head patch and pick them to freeze. When she froze them, then took out a bag to cook, they were black. She threw the whole batch out that she froze. Mother and uncle were instructed to get over there and pick more, with much whining and complaining and grandmother threating with that big hand (which was more threat than anything, but was capable), they picked more for the freezer, this time blanched before freezing. :D  My grandmother was never abusive, but she was the boss. :D :D

[Magicman]

Most Grandmothers are the boss and it mostly comes from Love and Respect.