How to Grow Strawberries in Arkansas

Identify a garden space that gets full sun. Strawberries require at least six hours of sun a day, but 10 hours is ideal, the University of Minnesota recommends.

Prepare soil in the garden bed for planting by loosening it and breaking up any large clumps and clods.

Plant your strawberries about three to four weeks before the last expected date of frost for your area. Plants should be set so that the crown remains above-ground but the roots are entirely covered. Plants set too deep can rot or suffer damage, while planting them too shallow may cause them to dry out.

Water the plants immediately if the soil is dry at planting time, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service suggests. In general, strawberries need between 1 inch and 1 1/2 inches of water each week. Without adequate rainfall, the plants require regular watering to ensure adequate moisture.

Remove the flower blossoms from your strawberry plants as they appear in the first growing season. The blossoms separate easily with a gentle tug by hand. This encourages more vigorous growth and fruiting in the following season, which will be the first year your plants produce a harvest of berries if you have June-bearing plants.

Mulch around the plants to winterize them and prepare them for the subsequent growing season. You can use any organic matter that is free of weeds and weed seeds, but some convenient options include pine needles, straw and hay, the Arkansas extension advises. Each plant needs a 2-inch to 4-inch covering of mulch for the winter. In the spring, rake off half the depth when temperatures begin to warm up.

Continue caring for your plants and monitoring them for diseases and pests as the growing season gets underway and your plants begin to produce their first crop of berries. With June-bearing plants, you'll have to wait until the second year to harvest a crop. If you plant day-neutral or everbearing plants, you'll get strawberries late in the first growing season. Use recommended insecticides to keep your plants healthy if you notice pests such as weevils, slugs and beetles or signs of an infestation, such as deformed fruit or holes in the berries. Fungicides can help control and prevent wilting and other common fungal leaf diseases.