How Many Strawberry Plants in a 3 Foot Radius?

Square Footage

• A circular strawberry bed with a radius of 3 feet has 28.26 square feet of planting area -- as calculated using the formula to find the area of a circle -- pi times radius squared. To determine the number of strawberry plants to populate this size bed, multiply the number of plants recommended for square-foot gardening by the number of square feet. In "The All New Square Foot Gardening," Mel Bartholomew recommends four strawberry plants per square foot. Four times 28.26 equals 113. Purdue Extension recommends planting no more than five plants per square foot. Five times 28.26 equals 141. Decide how many plants to use in your strawberry patch based on these figures and the type of strawberries you plan to plant.

June-Bearing Strawberries

• Colorado State University Extension recommends spacing June-bearing strawberries 18 to 24 inches apart and allowing runners from mother plants to fill in the patch. Using this spacing reduces the number of plants for a 3-foot radius patch to 56 to 105 plants. Allow daughter plants to finish populating the patch. Remove daughter plants growing less than 4 inches from the mother plant.

Everbearing and Day-Neutral Strawberries

• Illinois Extension recommends the hill system for everbearing and day-neutral strawberries. Using the hill system, plant 113 to 141 strawberries per 3-foot radius patch. Remove all runners. Runner removal causes the plant to grow more crowns and flower stalks, producing higher yields. Planting everbearing and day-neutral strawberries in raised, circular beds provides optimal growing conditions when plants receive at least eight hours of sunlight, sufficient irrigation and fertilization.

Culture

• Strawberry plants are shallow rooted and perform best when you keep the patch weed free and mulched with straw. Beds raised 6 to 8 inches provide the drainage required by strawberries to promote good health. Set plants with crowns at soil level. If leaves are buried, rot develops. Hydration results from exposed roots. "The Old Farmer's Almanac" recommends mowing or cutting plants down to 1 inch tall in fall before the dormant season. In frost-prone areas, mulch with 4 inches of straw after three or four frosts and before temperatures drop to 20 degrees. Prepare planting beds by working into the soil 1/2 pound of 6-24-24 or 1/4 pound 10-10-10 fertilizer to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Avoid over-fertilization, which results in excessive vegetative growth.