Get those strawberry plants ready! It's time to put them in the ground! (Or the pot, in my case).
Urban Harvest recommends planting strawberry plants from late October through the end of November, with early November being the ideal Time.
Texas A&M Extension recommends planting them between late September and the end of October. They do not specify whether they prefer seeds or plants at that time of year.
I also spoke to a fellow over at my local nursery a few days before Halloween, and he said this is indeed a good time to plant them, but noted that they are difficult to find at this time of year. That particular nursery did not have them in stock at the time, but he said the might be able to obtain them.
Whatever fall month you plant them in, strawberries appear to be high-maintenance annuals around here, requiring vigilance when it comes to watering, fertilizing, and pest control. I figure I'll try anyway. :)
The question is, what type to plant?
Dr. Bob Randall recommends Sunrise, Sweet Charlie, and Earlibelle varieties for their high quality flavor. He recommends mail-ordering plants, if you can. For more of his tips on strawberry cultivation, see his book.
Dr. Larry Stein recommends Chandler and Sequoia. Chandler is sold commercially, so expect flavor similar to grocery store strawberries. Sequoia, he says, is more readily available in nurseries.
For growing, Brenda Beust Smith recommends hanging baskets in her Lazy Gardener's Guide. I may try these, as well as the strawberry jar I recently obtained, depending on how many plants I decide to grow.
To find plants locally, start by going to a good local nursery. If they don't have them, they may be able to point you to someone who does.
For a little bit of Houston area history involving the strawberry, read this article from the Houston Chronicle, which explains why Pasadena, TX has a strawberry festival every spring.
Related Links:
Fruit Gardening in Texas (Texas A&M Extension)
Fall Planted Strawberries by Dr. Larry Stein.
Chronology of Strawberry Varieties in the United States
Fragaria species native to North America
Strawberry Pest Management Guidlelines (University of California, Davis)
The outdoor adventures of a California native putting down roots along the Texas Gulf Coast.
4 comments:
I know it's too late for this year, but I bought bare rooted Sunrise strawberries at Wabash feed at the beginning of November. They are all leafing up and doing well at this point. Wabash seems to read Bob Randal's book, because they always have the recommended varieties at the recommended times. I just bought 3 Kiowa black berries from them.
Thanks!
I love Dr. Randall's book. I'm growing Chandler strawberries in hanging baskets with some success. I got mine from isons.com along with my muscadines in late March (pretty late). We still got ~10 berries out of 24 plants, and I thought they tasted better than any store-bought strawberry. They're doing well now, and I'm hoping for a much bigger crop next year, if I can keep them alive through the summer. I'm looking for a source of 'Sunrise' berries to plant this fall. Know of any?
I had a very difficult time locating strawberries of the varieties Dr. Randall recommends last year. Most of the mail-order websites listed in my copy of his book are no longer operation.
The fellow at the nursery I go to suggested checking feed stores. These will probably be the first place I look this coming fall. Loraine, in her comment above suggests Wabash Feed.
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