How to Grow Everbearing Strawberries

Test the soil in the planting area and amend it as necessary. Strawberry plants perform best in well-drained soil with a pH of 5.3 to 6.5. Do not over fertilize -- too much fertilizer makes the plants grow quickly but reduces berry production.

Remove old or damaged leaves from the plants prior to planting.

Soak the roots of the everbearing plants in water for one hour before they are set in the soil. The plants should be set in soil immediately after soaking.

Plant the everbearing strawberries in the soil as soon as the soil warms enough that it can easily be worked with in the spring and after the date of the last frost has passed for your area. Set plants deeply enough that the entire root structure is covered, but make sure the crown is even with the soil line. Grow everbearing strawberries in beds containing two or three rows spaced one foot apart. The plants should also be set one foot apart in the rows.

Water the plants immediately after planting. Everbearing strawberries need 1 inch of water weekly throughout the growing season, and you need to supplement the plants' water needs during dry spells.

Fertilize the plants using a side-dressing method about one month after planting.

Remove blossoms from the everbearing plants for the first six weeks after planting. After six weeks, allow the blossoms to remain so the plants produce their first crop of strawberries.

Cultivate the soil around the plants shallowly with a hoe to help control weed growth in the strawberry beds. You can also pull weeds by hand as necessary.

Mulch over the plants once they go dormant in late fall or early winter by placing 3 to 4 inches of straw over each everbearing plant. Set the mulch down before temperatures reach 20 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent damage to the plants from cold weather.

Remove the mulch from the plants in early spring, raking it to the garden rows so it is easily accessible if temperatures dip and there is a threat of frost.

Maintain the plants in the same way in subsequent growing seasons, watering, fertilizing, weeding and mulching the plants as necessary.