# Strawberries, How many?



## DENALI (Mar 25, 2008)

We are going to start a strawberry bed, we plan to have some ever bearing and some June bearing. We are a family of 4 and all of us are strawberry addicts. The question is how many plants should we start with and how large of a bed area? Also we should be able to mix both varieties in the same bed correct?


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

DENALI,

At the risk of insulting you, let me offer some pretty good info from University of Illinois in case you haven't yet done any searching for some websites. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/strawberries/facts.html

Mail order houses ship bare root plants of the "June bearers" in packs of 25 each, and that should get you about a 25 foot row--opinions on spacing will vary as to method. I like to give them a 36 inch swath area to spread out in, plus a walkway in between each row of about 18 inches or so.(so my knees won't squish any when picking them....) I don't grow any everbearers or day neutrals, but I wouldn't choose to mix them together, myself.

There are on line catalog companies if you wish to order them. Stark Bros, comes to mind, and Surecrop usually is what I get.

Hope this is of some help

geo


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## DENALI (Mar 25, 2008)

geo in mi said:


> DENALI,
> 
> At the risk of insulting you, let me offer some pretty good info from University of Illinois in case you haven't yet done any searching for some websites. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/strawberries/facts.html
> 
> ...



Hey thanks for getting back to me, i have a 4x16 raised bed currently that i was thinking about devoting the whole thing to but i dont know if that would end up being strawberry overload for us or not.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

I started with 20 plants.... (10 per person).....that quickly spread and the next year was WAY OVERLOAD. I have so many plants...... 

I would start with 10 per person and go from there. If thats too much, scale back, if thats too little let them spread.


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## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

When it comes to fruit that you know you like, start with however many you can take care of. Don't get more than you'll keep weeded and watered. Beyond that, you can't have too many imo. Once you're tired of fresh ones, freeze them. Once the freezer's full, sell/give them.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Don't mix them - the JUne bearers spread much more rapidly than the everbearers. Keep them separate if you can. I put in 200 last year. I have 950 extras this year.....if you pinch back the runners, you can prevent that.


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## RVcook (Mar 29, 2008)

I planted 25 day neutral Tri-Star and they kept two people in berries all throughout the growing season, but not enough to freeze for the winter. 

I am adding 50 more plants this year. The crops from those 75 total plants should keep the two of us supplied all the way until the next growing season.

And yes...we REALLY like our berries!

RVcook


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## DENALI (Mar 25, 2008)

In a square foot gardening situation with really high quality fertilized soil, how close would you space the plants?


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

NickieL said:


> I started with 20 plants.... (10 per person).....that quickly spread and the next year was WAY OVERLOAD. I have so many plants......
> 
> I would start with 10 per person and go from there. If thats too much, scale back, if thats too little let them spread.


EEK! I planted about 100 plants for 2 people! They will start producing this year. But we LOVE strawberries. I freeze gallons if I have enough and make jam and strawberry pie and eat strawberry shortcake every day during the season (often twice a day!:shrug. I'm getting excited. I worked and worked with them last season, encouraging the runners into rows and pulling all the weeds. I hope they produce more than I need, at least that way I know I have enough.


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## countrysunshine (Jul 3, 2008)

GoldenMom said:


> EEK! I planted about 100 plants for 2 people! They will start producing this year. But we LOVE strawberries. I freeze gallons if I have enough and make jam and strawberry pie and eat strawberry shortcake every day during the season (often twice a day!:shrug. I'm getting excited. I worked and worked with them last season, encouraging the runners into rows and pulling all the weeds. I hope they produce more than I need, at least that way I know I have enough.


I planted 100, also. It was for my husband and I and what our grown kids take. I am positive I don't have enough. Considering I go to the strawberry fields south of here and pick gallons to put up as jam and frozen fruit plus what we eat I am guessing it will just be a good start.


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## pickapeppa (Jan 1, 2005)

We have one 4 x 16 bed of June bearers of which only half produced decent berries. I'm don't recall if the non-producing end of the bed were a different type or what, but they were worthless. We got about 13 quarts of nice berries last summer. It was our best ever for berries. Every year it seems something happens that kills them off.

I'm looking forward to seeing what they produce this year. They've spread over the sides and filled up the pathways between the beds. This, considering all the trouble we've had getting them started, I'll consider a resounding success. 

I would keep June bearers and ever bearers separate, for no other reason than to simplify and make harvesting more efficient. 

This year, the cuttings will get plopped into another raised bed. When all is said and done, we may end up with four beds of them. And that would be fine with me. You can never have too many berries.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

I had so many strawberries......I'm still eating them out of the freezer and it's almost berry season again!!!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I know that opinions vary, but I'm a strong believer, when it comes to strawberries, in tallying up every possible use that could be made of them, determine the number of plants, rows, patches, acres....whatever.... and then double that. 

Our patch is about 25x75 feet, and it's barely enough for a family of six.
Fresh, frozen, canned, dehydrated, juice and wine. There's never too many.

Do be prepared to weed.


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## DENALI (Mar 25, 2008)

Forerunner said:


> I know that opinions vary, but I'm a strong believer, when it comes to strawberries, in tallying up every possible use that could be made of them, determine the number of plants, rows, patches, acres....whatever.... and then double that.
> 
> Our patch is about 25x75 feet, and it's barely enough for a family of six.
> Fresh, frozen, canned, dehydrated, juice and wine. There's never too many.
> ...


Well i think i am going to plant a 4x16 foot plot for them but i havent been able to determine how many to plant yet. I am using a raised bed and my soil is a peat moss/cottonburr compost/rice hulls mixture with a specialized fertilizer. Its a very fertile mixture. I know i want ever bearing AND june bearing in the same bed, half one and half the other. Should i divide the bed or will it matter?


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I'd separate them. Your mix sounds good. Strawberries are heavy feeders.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

I'm with forerunner, can't have enough!!!!


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I plant mine 1 foot apart. They will spread quickly. I harvested 30 gallons off of one 4x24 ft bed. I had two beds. I leave them in place for two years. On the 3rd year, I transplant new plantlets to a new bed. I then have an extra bed on season. After that, I till up the first bed and go from there. Each bed is allowed to produce for about 4 years. They would probably go longer than that if I let them. I find they get crowded in a bed very quickly and you will need to transplant some to keep them producing well.


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