Do I Cover My Strawberry Plant Before It Freezes?

Frost

• You don't need to cover strawberries actually before it starts to freeze. Some low temperatures are not only not going to destroy your strawberries, but can actually be beneficial for them. A strong frost or two is quite helpful for the plants and helps them to flourish the following year. If leaves start to look dead from the frost, leave the plant alone and wait until the plant has come back in the spring before removing dead growth.

Cover

• If you live in the northern part of the country, the winters get cold enough that you should eventually cover your strawberry plants. Straw makes a warm covering that will insulate the plants well enough to see them through until spring. Put the straw on the plants once the temperature starts dipping below 20 F. Use a layer about 6 inches thick to provide enough insulation to keep plants warm throughout the winter.

Re-covering

• Once the leaves of the strawberry plants start to turn yellow in the spring, the straw needs to be removed. However, don't make the mistake of throwing all the straw somewhere else in the garden too early. Instead, just push it off the plants. Frost in the spring is much more dangerous than frost in the fall for strawberries. If there is a frost warning in your area, use the straw from the winter to carefully re-cover the strawberries so that the spring frost doesn't damage them during this vulnerable growth stage.

Covering Tips

• You don't have to cover your plants with straw if you don't have any readily available. Hay, bark chips or cornstalks are also viable options. Don't use anything that is too fine, and which will pack too tightly around the plants. Also, make sure that whatever you use doesn't settle too heavily. You want the plants able to breathe throughout the winter, or they may not make it through the season.