North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>]

I’ve used a technique I read in Organic Gardening decades ago: I plant in wide beds, and don’t pinch off the runners.  At the end of the season I till the length of one half of the bed, alternating each year.  This keeps the refreshing the bed.  The runners repopulate the tilled side very quickly, and are as large and productive as the mother plants the next season.  I suppose you could pinch off the runners until just before you till, though; it’s new runners that fill the tilled area.  I’ve done this in zones 7a-9, here in our Mediterranean climate.  I don’t recall reading that this would work better in some areas than others.  Naturally, the variety needs to send out runners readily.

 

~ Stephen

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Kieran &/or Donna
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 10:02 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] ozark beauty strawberries

 

I've heard of people who took care of their strawberries and tilled out the old row every year, and had kept a bed going for 20 years.  Dunno about their climate and the variety, which would both make some difference.  Donna