How to Grow Strawberries at Home

Choose a spot in your yard suitable for growing. Good places to consider are pre-existing garden beds or edges of flower or other planting beds. If you want to grow a large garden strictly focused on strawberries, select an area that you can turn or till to work the soil well in advance of planting. For small areas, consider a raised bed or purchase berry planters such as a strawberry jar or pyramid. These work well for decks and patios.

Visit your local nursery and talk to the nurseryman to select the best plants that grow well in your region. June-bearing, everbearing and day-neutral types are among the possibilities, and each has particular varieties to take into consideration. Try to find sweet varieties that are disease-resistant. If you plan to establish a large bed, look for varieties that easily send out runners. These will become plants in the future.

Prepare your soil. Dig up the ground where you will plant. Turn it over and break up the soil so it gets loosened up. Add good quality organic potting soil and decomposed compost directly into the ground where you will plant, and mix it in. You can place the mix directly into pots or planters.

Make as many rows as your planting bed will allow. Simply use the hoe or shovel to create a rows about a foot wide and several inches high. Leave wide-enough paths between rows for walking and weeding.

Dig the holes for the plants. Place them about 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on type and potential runner spread. Fill the holes with a handful of compost and potting soil. Stir in the suggested amount of fertilizer (usually a teaspoon or two) into each hole.

Tap or gently squeeze the pots from the nursery containing the starter strawberry plants. Place each plant into the holes in the rows and gently spread the roots. Don't cover the crown of the plant. Tamp down the soil to firm up the plants. Water in well. Mulch with several inches of hay between plants.

Check for weeds as the plants begin to grow. Mulching will allow for easy weeding as well as keep the plants protected.