This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Strawberries, Soil Amend, Annuals?

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

>Bill wrote:
>>*Mine is there somewhere in there Pat> :>)

>So sorry, Bill. I wrote my post last night and picked up yours this
morning. If you wrote on the subject when it LAST came up, I apologize
for not remembering.

***No apology required Pat.  Long as you got it sometime.  I think last time
it came up, it was in reguards to soil amendment, and skewed to a strawberry
tangent.  I see you made up for it, tho.  I got dup posts.  "Net happens!" 
:>) LOL

>>I (Pat) wrote:>>Matted row is treating them more or less like annuals, where
you >let all the runners do their thing, making more plants, and then you
>replant the whole bed next year.

[Even calling that an 'annual-system' is sort of a hybridization and bluring
of the term, to my slightly studied understanding.  I can see it is, yet it is
sort of perennial. too.  Clue me in if you have a hard line definition of each
to offer, that I could use it for this walk-the-fence issue, for future ref.
and edification.  TIA  May be hard to apply here?]

>"Runners take fruiting energy" is the key point, it seems to me. You seem
to be describing a sort of hybrid version of the two systems. Kewl.

***Yes!  As to "ALL the runners" tho', (Ortho) 12x12 (12x36 initially)
uses 2 runners, 9x12 (18x36 initially) uses 3, and alternates which side 2
runners are on.  Spooner Farms spaces farther, (in row formation) and does
runners in the row.  G-Smitty (??? well, someone, sorry) mentioned using 1
runner only.  THIS is a good compromise!  Saves a plant purchase, expands and
replaces slowly, safely.

***No Lock-step here.  Be flexible.  More runners, fruit later.  One of these
refs (Spooner, who does raspberries and strawberries only, and does very well)
even said, remove all flowers the first season, to establish the plant.  Does
that still qualify it as an annual?  [Help me unblur that?]

***And in Calif, mulch/w Black plastic. (Ortho.) Keeps plants off soil.
Spooner, crowns level w/at soil line.
Ortho, crowns above soil line.

THIS, is THE touchiest issue w strawberries I ever see.
Goes to:  Furrow-water, level ground, no slopes, roots straight down, plastic
mulch maybe, or straw.
IOW;  Keep crowns dry, but the shallow roots moist.

BTW***Ortho says 34 degrees F storage, as opposed to Spooners 29F.

>I am still learning these, and really appreciate the topic.
My success is moderate, as I experiment and am in the 3rd year of evolving and
expanding a garden, ~50% per annum.  Now at 12x16, total.
2x4 walkways only, in most places.

Am JUST dry enough from the 19.5 inches to dig and amend.
12x16 is 4x48 equivalent. 16-1cuft $1 bags of well composted manure (High
Quality BioSolids) will add 1" depth.  This is mild, so is somewhat for humus
maintenance.  Manure will probably be at 1/4th that rate I think.  This is not
all strawberry, by any means.  Any pumpkins, squashes, & melons will creep
beyond this, planted at the edges, tho' they send down roots along the
runners, Tuff.  THEY break in the new expaned S.borders.
Bill
SF/ 9.5, 69% Sun, but rarely warm.
Makes melons, etc. a hassle.

____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to sqft-unsubscribe@listbot.com
______________________________________________________________________
Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index