How to Grow Strawberries in Clay

Dig up the clay soil plot for your strawberry patch with a shovel to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Alternatively, use a power tiller. Break up soil clumps to create a lump-free soil as best you can. Clay soil is easiest to work with and pulverize when it is slightly moist. Avoid digging in dry or soggy clay soils.

Add 6 to 10 inches of organic matter to the freshly dug clay soil. Place compost or well-rotted manure atop the soil and incorporate it deeply with the shovel or tiller. A mix of tiny particle and coarse organic matter is excellent. With the addition of organic matter, the area begins to resemble a slightly elevated mound compared to the rest of the garden.

Keep the amended soil bed free of weeds for the next 12 months. Hand-pull or hoe weeds from the future strawberry bed. Physically remove any weeds with perennial roots or drying seed heads from the area. All other bits of weeds may be left on the soil to decompose.

Add additional amounts of organic matter, scattering a 6-inch layer in increments, every six to 10 weeks. Incorporate the matter deeply into the clay soil bed. As long as the soil isn't frozen, new organic matter may be added and blended in.

Stop adding and blending organic matter into the clay soil bed after the soil mounds to a height of 10 to 12 inches. Measure the approximate depth two weeks after you last worked the soil, so gravity and rain have naturally settled it.

Rake the planting bed smooth, breaking up any clumps in preparation to plant strawberries. Contact your local nursery or cooperative extension office to learn the ideal time to plant and establish a strawberry patch in your region. Strawberry plants are usually available either in early autumn or early to mid-spring.

Create planting mounds within the mounded bed with a shovel or rake one week before planting. Scoop soil to create berms 10 to 12 inches high but with a flattened top 18 to 24 inches wide. The length of the berm -- the planting row -- should suit your needs for proper spacing of the plants.

Scatter 10-10-10 slow-release fertilizer granules at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet across the planting berm. Follow product label directions for any specific application instructions or recommended dosages exclusive to strawberries or edible plants.

Dig planting holes for the strawberry plants with a garden trowel. Plant the dormant strawberry plants so the crown -- the transitional area between roots and the cluster of upright stems -- rests right at or 1/4 inch above the soil line. Space the plants 8 to 10 inches apart in two rows atop the center of the raised planting berm. Tamp the soil down gently around the plants with your finger tips before watering.

Place a 1- to 2-inch layer of organic mulch, such as pine needles, straw or dry grass clippings, over the soil in the bed. Keep the mulch 2 inches away from the strawberry plants to prevent rot. Mulch retains soil moisture, prevents weeds and diminishes the berm's erosion. The mulch may be 2 to 4 inches deep between or around the raised planting berms where you may walk or kneel.

Rework the planting berms every two to four years when you dig up and replant strawberry plants. Add fresh organic matter to again form the berms and replenish the nutritional and drainage characteristics needed to keep the clay soil usable for strawberries.