How to Grow Strawberries on Plastic

Strawberries are one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops among home growers, offering the reward of sweet, juicy berries for those who properly care for their strawberry plants. Strawberries require well-mulched and moist soil, which is much easier to achieve with the use of black plastic. Covering planting rows with black plastic acts as mulch, helps increase moisture retention and prevents rot that can occur when strawberries sit on the ground for too long.

Things You'll Need

Compost or manure
Garden tiller
Black plastic

Scissors
Strawberry seedlings
High-nitrogen fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Till 3 to 4 inches of compost or manure into the garden bed's topsoil around three weeks before the last frost date in early spring.
- 2
  Form the garden bed into planting rows for the strawberries. The rows should be around 6 inches high and wide, with around 2 feet between rows.
- 3
  Lay a sheet of black plastic over the top of each row, burying the edges of the plastic in around 4 inches of soil at the base of the planting row, leaving the soil between the rows uncovered. Leave the garden bed with the covered rows to "percolate" until the frost-free date in spring.
- 4
  Cut a hole in the top of the plastic on the planting rows, around 3 inches wide. Each planting hole should be around 10 inches apart along the top of the rows.
- 5
  Dig a hole in the soil inside the hole in the plastic, sized to fit the strawberry seedling's root ball.
- 6
  Plant the strawberry seedlings in the holes, gently covering the root ball with soil, leaving the crown exposed.
- 7
  Water the seedlings and apply about 1 tbsp. of high-nitrogen fertilizer diluted in water. Water the strawberries deeply every week thereafter. A side-dressing of fertilizer can be applied after the first harvest in June.

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