How to Plant Strawberries in Florida

Determine the best place to plant, keeping in mind that the plants will need at least eight hours of sunlight each day. Make sure that the soil is drained and has a pH level of 5.5 to 6.5. Strawberries thrive in a slightly acidic environment.

Choose your transplants. Bare-root plants are the most readily available, but you can also use plants that are started in trays.

Prepare your plant bedding in raised rows. This ensures that the soil will have enough drainage. Use your spade to form a mound for each individual transplant. Space them 12 inches apart, with 12 inches between each row.

Install irrigation for each bed. Using tape or tubing, follow the center of the bed between the two rows of plants. Bury the irrigation device approximately 3 inches deep, and cover with at least 2 inches of soil.

Distribute fertilizer, following the trench you've made down the middle of the bed, then cover with another 2 inches of soil. Spread fertilizer over the remaining bed, taking care to spread about a quarter of it with a rake. Plan to use 2 lbs. of 10-10-10 (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertilizer for each 10-foot bed. Adjust accordingly for longer or shorter beds, roughly 1/5 lb. for each foot of bedding.

Cover the bedding with dark plastic and mulch. Cut slits above each plant mound.

Push your plants through the slits you've cut. For bare root plants, insert into the soil up to the crown, leaving the roots just barely covered. For potted seedlings, cover them to the same depth they were in before transferring from their tray.

Water the plants, making sure you have soaked the entire root system. New plants should be watered daily. Bare root plants will need continuous sprinkling; potted transplants can be watered once per day.