Strawberry is a bright red, soft, juicy fruit, conical in shape and grows on a low plant but unlike other fruits, it has seeds on its exterior.

The two basic varieties of strawberries are summer producing and ever-producing strawberries. Of the two, the latter variety is more popular because it produces the fruit almost throughout the year and keeps on growing for many years together though the size of the fruit produced is smaller than the summer-bearing variety.

Growing strawberries on your own:

Keeping following basic requisites in consideration, you can grow your own strawberries easily. 

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  Summers are obviously, the best time to plant the summer-producing variety whereas the ever- producing variety grows best in the spring season.
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  The site for planting strawberry plants should be in full sunlight for about 8-10 hours daily with minimal wind and the soil should be dry, slightly acidic, well-drained and weed-free.
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  Do not plant the crop in an area that has previously grown tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes etc. to prevent verticillium wilt.
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  For cultivation, dig the soil well and add manure or compost for its enrichment. Dig a large hole to allow the roots to spread.
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  Moisten the roots by placing them in a bucket of water to prevent their drying out.
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  Place the plant into the dug hole in such a manner that the roots spread downwards while the crown is slightly above the ground level.           
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  Press the soil firmly to cover the roots and not the crown.
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  For planting more strawberries, space the plants at a distance of about 18 to 20 inches in case of summer-bearing plants as these tend to give out strawberry runners. A runner is a shoot that springs out from the mother plant and gives rise to new. Ever-bearing plants do not give out many runners and are thus, grown on raised beds with single plants.
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  Watering the roots to about strawberry plants 1-1.5 inches per week is required for the growth of the plant.
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  Add a soluble fertilizer and mulch to the plant. Mulch consists of a layer of organic or inorganic material spread on the soil to retain its moisture and improve its fertility.
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  Cover the plant with a net to prevent birds from picking.
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  Remove the few buds that appear initially to allow the plant to grow faster and better. Berries, usually, take about a month to ripen. Harvest the fruit once it is bright red.

Uses of Strawberries

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  Strawberry is edible raw as a fruit or made into a preservative extract or can be processed into food items like ice creams, milk shakes, smoothies, jams etc.
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  Adding a cup of strawberries to your tea will give it a new, soothing flavor.
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  Strawberries can be an ideal ingredient for various salads, pies, salsas, desserts etc.
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   It can also, be used to exfoliate or a facial mask.
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  Along with baking powder, it can act as a teeth whitener too.

No wonder with about 600 varieties and numerous health benefits, strawberry is the most popular among all the berry fruits in the world.

Visit us at GreenwoodNursery.com for a selection of strawberry plants for your garden.