STRAWBERRY
The best strawberries you will ever taste come straight from a garden! The fresh, sweet, juiciness of a newly ripened strawberry will rival any the supermarket has to offer. Growing strawberries is relatively easy, with proper preparation and care. Although they can be grown directly in the ground, many people prefer to grow them in raised beds or containers. Plants love rich, slightly acidic soil with steady moisture and regular fertilizer, and as the name suggests, a mulch of straw will help keep down the weeds and protect the berries from soil born disease or pests. Plants produce an abundance of runners- isolating each mother plant to three offshoots will produce the best crop. When planting strawberries, give each plant at least 18" of space to spread, and be sure not to bury the crown. Make sure to protect plants with netting or be prepared to share your crop of sweet strawberries with the birds!
