What to Do After the First Strawberry Harvest

New Plants

• New plants can be planted in hills or matted or spaced rows. Matted rows are created when the mother plants, or the main strawberry plant you placed, sends out runners that become daughter plants, rooting themselves around the mother plant. Whatever planting system you choose, new plants should not be allowed to set fruit from the first blossoms. Instead, pinch these blooms off to encourage the plant to give all its energy to plant growth rather than fruit production. In the case of June-bearing cultivars, keep removing blooms for the entirety of the growing season. For other types, keep taking the blooms through the end of June, and allow them to set fruit for a later season harvest.

First Harvest

• Once you have moved into your plant's second year in the case of June-bearing cultivars, it is important to fertilize the plants immediately following the first harvest. This feeding is adequate for the plants until the following year. Use a balanced fertilizer, and water the plants thoroughly after applying it. This helps deliver the fertilizer to the plant's roots where it is needed most. Overfeeding strawberries results in reduced fruit production, though the plants will appear full and green -- they produce more stem and leaf growth than flowers.

Renovation

• Your strawberry beds benefit from a renovation after the first harvest of each year, as well. This is routine maintenance that keeps plants healthy. Thin the plants and apply a loose mulch like straw, removing all weeds, and fertilize with a balanced fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound to 100 square feet. Mow down the plants in the fall so you have removed all but the lowest of the leaves.

Baskets

• You can also grow strawberries in baskets or containers, and they do well as long as they get at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Follow the same procedure as in beds for the first-year blooms, pinching them back until end of June, then allowing fruit to set afterwards. A slow-release fertilizer can be used for summer-long feeding requirements.