How to Get the Highest Yield From My Strawberries

Choose your site carefully. Strawberries need a minimum of six hours of sunshine a day to bear fruit well. Do not plant in a bed that has been used to grow potatoes or tomatoes, as diseases can linger and infect the strawberries. Choose a site that has good drainage. In a raised bed, dig ridges to ensure drainage.

Dig the bed well. Mix in organic matter after removing weeds. Allow plenty

of room between the plants and the rows so that the plants can spread. Allow three to four feet between rows and 18 to 30 inches between plants. Cover the roots, which are fairly shallow, and half the crown with soil. The crown of the plant is the junction of the root and the part of the plant that grows above ground. Tap the earth in with a spade.

Check and water the plants daily. Do not over water them. Remove runners that the plants send out. Remove flowers from June-bearing strawberries to allow the plant to grow bigger and bushier for the next season.

Spread straw, preferably barley straw, along the bottoms of the plants as they grow to keep weeds at bay and protect the fruit. Pick the fruit each day. Put netting over the plants to prevent birds from eating the fruit. Many growers use lightweight plastic netting. Attach the netting to a simple wooden frame.