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It is difficult to find a person who does not like strawberries and it is also difficult to find a vegetable garden where this berry does not grow. Grow strawberries everywhere in open areas land and even in greenhouses. Many varieties allow you to choose plants with the most preferred flavor characteristics of berries and a long fruiting period. Regular and remontant strawberries are grown in different ways, however, the quality and quantity of the crop largely depends on the fertility of the soil and the place of cultivation. That is why preparation beds under the strawberry is a responsible and very important business. We will talk about how to properly prepare the soil and how best to form ridges in the proposed article.
Best place for strawberries
It is recommended to grow strawberries only in sunny areas of the earth. Shade and strong winds can significantly reduce crop yields. Preferably, the site should be flat, without large differences in height and holes. A slight slope of the ridges is permissible, while its direction will in a certain way affect the quality and early maturity of the crop:
- on the southern slopes, strawberries ripen very early and amicably, there is less acidity in its taste;
- on the northern slopes, the ripening period of the crop is long, but the berries are always larger;
- the best is the location of the ridges from east to west.
It will not work to grow strawberries in the lowlands, since the increased soil moisture provokes active foliage growth and reduces the mass of berries. Fungal and viral, putrefactive diseases are actively developing in humid conditions, which can completely lead to the extinction of the culture.
To protect strawberries from the winds, some farmers recommend forming beds along hedges or building walls. You can also protect the beds from the wind by growing tall shrubs or annual crops. However, this method of protecting strawberries cannot be used in places with a high level of humidity, since putrefactive diseases develop successfully in conditions of dampness and weak air circulation. Also, when constructing a wind barrier, it is necessary to exclude possible shading of the strawberry beds.
Crop rotation rules and the choice of neighbors for strawberries
For every culture, there are good and bad predecessors. For strawberries, radishes, peas, garlic, parsley, and beans are good predecessors. You can also form ridges in the place where carrots, celery, bulbous flowers, turnips grew earlier. It is not recommended to plant strawberries in places where nightshade crops, cucumbers or sunflowers used to grow.
Slugs can be a threat to strawberries in the ridges. For preventive control of them, you can choose sage or parsley as a neighbor for strawberries, they will scare away this gluttonous pest. Onions, beets, radishes are also favorable neighbors for berry crops.
Soil preparation
Strawberries are quite unpretentious to the composition of the soil. It can grow on almost any soil with the exception of sandstone. Loams are considered the most favorable for culture. At the same time, the fertility of the soil increases the yield and improves the quality of the berries.
The acidity of the soil in the strawberry beds should be medium, about pH 5-5.5. If the indicator exceeds the specified limits, then the soil should be limed. To do this, dolomite flour, slaked lime or cement dust must be added to the soil. It is important to know that strawberries do not take fresh lime well: their roots slow down their growth. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the land by liming in advance 1-2 years before planting strawberry bushes.
Fertilizers in the soil for growing strawberries should also be applied in advance:
- if you plan to plant strawberries in the spring, then you need to fertilize the soil in the fall;
- if it is planned to plant a crop in August, then fertilizers are applied to the soil at the beginning of the summer season.
For normal growth and fruiting, strawberries need a whole range of organic and mineral substances. Manure is introduced while digging the soil. The amount of fertilizer should be 5-6 kg / m2... Superphosphate (50 g), potassium chloride (15 g) and ammonium sulfate (25 g) are sprinkled over the dug-up soil and covered with a rake. The depth of digging for planting strawberries should be at least 20 cm.
How to prepare strawberry beds in the fall
There are many different ways to form strawberry beds. So, they often use ordinary bulk, high, decorative ridges and ridges under agrofibre. Each type of garden bed has its own advantages and characteristics. Below in the article we will try to talk in detail about how to prepare a bed for strawberries using the most well-known technologies.
Low fill ridges
This method of forming ridges is most often used by conservative gardeners. It does not require financial costs for the purchase of material and is easy to implement on our own. For understanding, this technology can be described in several stages:
- The soil is dug up with fertilization.
- Ridges are formed, dividing the dug-up area with furrows. If it is supposed to grow strawberries in one row, then the width of the ridge can be 20 cm, if in two rows, then at least 50 cm.
- The height of the beds above the furrow level should be at least 20 cm. This will allow the storm water not to stagnate in the soil.
- Furrows between the ridges are recommended to be made 60-80 cm wide.
- Strawberries are planted on ready-made beds according to a one-line or two-line scheme. Recommended distances and an example of such landings can be seen in the photo below.
Low fill ridges should always be made in the form of a trapezoid. This will prevent the soil from sprinkling from the edges. The disadvantages of this scheme for the formation of ridges are:
- contact of berries with the soil, as a result of which they become contaminated;
- the low location of the beds complicates the process of cultivating the land;
- berries, in contact with wet soil, can rot.
However, this method is the only correct solution for areas with high groundwater levels.
After strawberries are planted on the prepared ridges, open areas of soil must be mulched. This will allow you to retain moisture in the soil for as long as possible after each watering, and will partially prevent contamination and rotting of berries. You can use straw or sawdust as mulch. Spruce branches are also great for mulching strawberries: they scare away slugs, prevent weeds from sprouting and give the berries a special, rich aroma.
High bed
Tall strawberry beds are distinguished by their decorative effect and ease of maintenance. The principle of their creation is that the beds are not limited by furrows, but by artificially created fences. You can create high ridges by performing the following steps:
- A trench is dug in the ground with a width of 40 to 80 cm and a depth of 20-40 cm. The width of the trench should correspond to the width of the bed.
- A frame made of boards, pieces of slate, brick or other materials is installed along the perimeter of the trench. The height of the frame can vary from 30 to 80 cm. The higher the bed, the more convenient it will be to take care of the plants.
- A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the strawberry bed. It can be a mound of expanded clay, tree branches, the remains of lumber. The recommended thickness of this layer is 15-20 cm.
- A layer of fallen leaves, straw, weeds is poured over the drainage. In the process of decay, this layer will serve as an additional source of organic matter for feeding the strawberries.
- Overripe manure, peat or compost should be the next layer high beds.
- After laying all the components, the frame of a tall strawberry bed is filled with nutritious soil and lightly tamped.
- You can plant strawberries in a high bed in 2-4 rows. The number of rows depends on the width of the structure.
Tall strawberry beds, in addition to ease of maintenance and aesthetics, have a number of other significant advantages:
- the drainage layer will reliably protect the plants from flooding, which makes it possible to place such structures for growing strawberries even in low-lying places;
- high beds can be an excellent option in areas with a strong height difference;
- organic matter in the process of decay produces heat and additionally heats the strawberry roots from the inside;
- snow melts quickly in high beds, which allows you to get an early harvest of berries;
- high beds for strawberries allow you to grow a heat-loving crop in the northern regions;
- paths between high beds do not need weeding. Weed grasses can be mowed with a trimmer or the free space can be laid out with small stones, paving slabs.
Among the disadvantages of this technology, of course, one should highlight the financial costs for the purchase of material and the complexity of creating a structure. You can see the process of creating tall breasts and hear the comments of an experienced farmer in the video:
Beds under agrofibre
This technology for creating strawberry beds is a relative novelty, but due to its many advantages, over time, it is gaining an increasing number of adherents among novice and experienced gardeners. The technology is based on the use of a special shelter - black agrofibre. It warms the roots of plants, prevents berries from coming into contact with damp soil, and eliminates the need to weed the beds. The breathable material acts as a mulch. It allows moisture and air to pass through without hindrance.
Preparing a bed for planting strawberries using agrofibre consists of the following steps:
- On a plot of land, mark the location of future ridges.
- The soil is dug up with the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers.
- They form trapezoidal strawberry beds with a width of 50 to 80 cm.Their height can vary from 20 to 50 cm.The edges of such high ridges will be covered with material, so that the soil will not sprinkle when the wind blows or the flow of storm water flows.
- On top of the ridges, black agrofibre is laid as a solid carpet, covering, including the furrows. The edges of the agrofibre are fixed with metal pins or staples. Additionally, you can press the material in the furrows with stones or earth mounds.
- On the surface of agrofibre, markings are made on how it is subsequently planned to place strawberry bushes in the garden.
- In the designated places on the fiber, incisions are made into which strawberry bushes are planted.
At first glance, such a technology for creating strawberry beds may seem quite complicated, but after watching the video clip and hearing the comments of the farmer, it will probably become clear that this method of growing strawberries is not only very effective, but also quite simple:
Decorative vertical beds
In the absence of free areas in the garden, many farmers try to grow strawberries in vertical beds. They not only save space, but also bring a "zest" to the design of the site.
A decorative bed for strawberries can be made from boards or from car tires, scrap materials. An example of such a strawberry garden is shown in the photo:
The complexity of creating such beds is only in the manufacture of boxes. Care for strawberries with this method of cultivation is similar to that which is carried out on conventional beds.
In the creation of decorative beds for strawberries, pipes are widely used. For example, by cutting a pipe along its entire length and sealing its ends, you can get an oblong container for plants, which is filled with nutrient soil and fixed to a wooden stand. This method allows you to grow a large number of plants on a small piece of land. The mobility of the structure, if necessary, allows you to move it. By analogy with pipes, you can make an oblong container from other scrap materials, for example, boards.
Vertical beds can be done using pipes in another way. For this:
- Small holes, 3-5 cm in diameter, are evenly cut on the entire surface of the pipe.
- Another pipe (a piece of hose) of a smaller diameter is inserted inside the pipe. On its surface, it is also necessary to make small holes through which moisture will flow to the roots of the plants.
- The lower end of the inner and outer pipes must be sealed tightly.
- Fill the inner space between pipes of different diameters with nutrient soil.
- Strawberry bushes are planted in the holes.
- Watering the plants is carried out by filling the inner hose with water.
- The necessary mineral fertilizers are added to the water for irrigation.
The excellent appearance of such decorative beds can be appreciated by looking at the photo:
An important advantage of pipe beds is mobility. So, strawberry beds in the fall with the arrival of severe frosts can be moved to more favorable conditions, thereby preventing freezing. And if you grow remontant varieties of continuous fruiting in such mobile beds, then it is possible not only in summer, but also in winter to maintain favorable conditions for the culture and collect tasty and healthy berries at the same time.
Conclusion
Thus, there are many ways to grow strawberries. At the same time, traditional open beds are no longer preferable for most diligent farmers, because by creating high beds, you can accelerate the ripening process of the first berries, agrofibre will facilitate planting care, and decorative structures will save space on the site and decorate it. But no matter what method of creating the beds the farmer chooses, he must still follow the basic rules of crop rotation and soil preparation. After all, it will be very disappointing to put a lot of effort and effort into creating strawberry beds and get a meager harvest just because their location does not meet the requirements of growing a crop. In general, every nuance in the creation of beds will in a certain way affect the intensity of fruiting and the quality of berries, so you need to approach this issue especially carefully.
