Strawberries

I had a busy garden weekend, which was a pleasant change after a long winter that was milder than usual, but not mild enough to plant anything. This weekend I focused on rebuilding the strawberry patch in the same spot as before -- the spit of ground between the front walk and the parking lot. This time I utilized square foot beds, two 2x4 frames for 16 squares.

The frames had already been constructed last year for the short-lived co-op garden I had with Rachel, so that much was already done. On Saturday I turned over the entire plot and removed the largest chunks of weeds, then laid out the frames. Then I headed up to Lowe's for some peat moss and composted manure (we had a full bag of vermiculite left over from last year as well). I filled the boxes with the usual mixture, up to about an inch from the top.

Sunday I bought a roll of weed guard and two bags of hardwood mulch at Lowe's, and 16 strawberry plants from Highland Garden Center (12 everbearing, 4 June bearing). I cut the weed barrier into one-foot-wide strips and laid them out around the frames, then applied the mulch. I was about one bag short in my estimate for the mulch, and will probably buy another today to finish filling out the plot. Finally, I planted the strawberries, digging a hole for each and applying a large pinch of bone meal and a small scoop of blood meal to each hole, and watered everything thoroughly. Once the plants are established I'll fill the boxes the rest of the way to the top with sphagnum peat. I noticed a couple of years ago that this was the way they seemed to do it at the cooperative extension service up the road, most likely to help retain moisture and keep down weeds. This should, I hope, eliminate the need to apply straw to the plot later in the season, which I think tends to look messy. But then that's what the square foot method is supposed to be for, right?