Preparation of beds for strawberries: the definition of the site for planting, the device and feeding

Strawberries are a favorite delicacy of adults and children, because it is very tasty and healthy. That is why it is simply necessary to grow this berry in our country house. Since this culture is demanding to the conditions in which it should grow, it is important to choose the right place for the future garden and to do everything so that the juicy and sweet berries please the whole family as long as possible.

Eating strawberries is not only tasty, but also useful. These are the berries that are the first to ripen in spring and enable a person to replenish their vitamins. The more strawberries will be eaten per season, the better the body will be prepared for the cold season. It is necessary to moderately use these berries, especially children, in order to avoid allergic reactions. Due to the large amount of vitamins and the excellent taste of strawberries, almost all gardeners try to plant this crop in their garden beds, but the result is different.

In order for the plantation to give fruits of impressive size, it is important not only to properly care for the ready-made bushes, but to find a suitable place for their planting, buy a good variety and create all the necessary conditions for it. In order for the crop to be stable and high, you need to pay attention to the following nuances.

• This culture loves the sun, because the place for it should be in open space, where there are no trees or anything else that can create even partial shadow.
• The bed should be located on a hill, so that there is no risk of flooding by groundwater, which will be detrimental to plants.
• For full growth and fruiting strawberries should be protected from the wind, for which crops such as gooseberries or currants can be used, between which beds are organized or other measures are taken to eliminate drafts.
• To create optimal conditions, it is best to plant strawberries on sandy-loamy or sandy soils, which are additionally fertilized with humus. Berry grows well in acidic soil, but calcareous, excessively moist and viscous soil does not fit the culture at all.
• In order for strawberry bushes to take root well and yield a crop, it is important to choose the area where legumes (beans, peas) grew before, as well as carrots and greens. It is worth knowing that there are those crops, after which you should not plant strawberry bushes. These are potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, peppers.
• In order for the bush to fully grow, to pass the stage of flowering and to bear fruit well, it is important to maintain a fairly large distance between each plant, for which purpose it is necessary to initially have a decently large piece of land.

By planting strawberries should be taken seriously and prepare in advance for the fertilizer of the soil on which it will land. Since the planting procedure is performed twice per season, that is, certain fertilizers that are worth using. A universal option would be the use of wood ash, introduced under each bush. In addition, it is useful to use bait in the form of granules, which feeds the bush gradually, without over-saturating it with useful substances immediately.

Granular fertilizers can be soluble in water, in this form only one tea box under a bush is enough before planting. The use of such excipients allows you to protect the crop from diseases, helps seedlings to settle down faster in a new place and give a good harvest. The best strawberries are suitable fertilizers, which include nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus. Throughout the summer period, there is a continuous process of making supplements to the plant, which takes place approximately every week.

The normal growth also contributes to the thinning procedure of the bush, which is important to carry out after harvest, so that the plant does not thicken. Such actions will prevent the emergence of various diseases, will contribute to stable and good yields throughout the entire period of activity. If you do not carry out this kind of processing, it will provide an opportunity for the active development of pests that can severely harm the berry, and the presence of a large number of excess processes will weaken the bush, which can lead to various problems with the growth and development of culture.

Depending on when exactly the soil is prepared, various fertilizers are used. For autumn work it is best to use manure, the optimal amount would be 8 kilograms per square meter, where the bushes will be planted. In addition, you need to add superphosphate (60 grams), potassium salt (25 grams), potassium chloride (15 grams). If the preparation process takes place a week before the plants are planted, humus is introduced into the soil (6 kg). It is possible to use instead of it compost, which has already retrained, it needs 8 kg. In addition, it is necessary to add potassium sulphate in the amount of 25 grams.

In order to properly prepare the ground for planting strawberries, it is important to carry out all the necessary activities. The summer procedure will include the selection of a variant of the future crop and the preparation of the soil for it. Work can begin as early as July, but most often the active stage takes place in August, when the place for the garden is determined and all necessary preparations are made. For planting berries, you can use a variety of methods and options, it is:

• simple bulk bed;
• high beds;
• trenching;
• production of pyramidal beds;
• vertical strawberry growing options;
• decorative way of breeding berries.

If the bulk option is used, then it does not need to harvest any specific material, and the procedure itself is quite simple. To prepare the soil, you need to dig it up and add fertilizer, then divide it using furrows into beds, the width of which will vary from 20 to 50 cm. To ensure the bushes with the necessary conditions, you need to raise the ground level by 20 cm from the furrow the ability to quickly move away excess moisture. With all the advantages of this option, there are a number of disadvantages:

• slight deformation of the beds from heavy rain showers;
• It is impossible in the case of a wet area, near which groundwater flows.

High ridges are used if the soil is very wet and there is no possibility to grow strawberries at a normal height. For the construction of such a ridge it will be necessary to work a little, for which certain materials will already be needed. The construction process has this sequence.

• Choosing a suitable site and fencing it with slate sheets, bricks, planks or other materials so that the box is obtained. It is important to maintain the necessary height, which will ensure the absence of soil moistening from groundwater. It is best to raise the box to a height of 40-80 cm from ground level.
• The first should go to the drainage layer with a height of 15 cm, for which use fragments of brick, expanded clay. You can take thin branches of trees.
• The next layer is an organic layer of easily reheating elements (foliage, grass, straw). With this layer of strawberries will receive additional warming and nourishing the soil.
• Then compost, humus, peat and turfy earth are mixed, well mixed together. It is in this substrate that strawberries will be planted, because it is important to fill the whole structure with it and to trample it a little.

The positive qualities of such beds are considered to be able to grow berries even in lowlands, with the presence of groundwater, the design makes it possible to nourish the plants and warm the roots during the cold period.It is much easier to care for berries in such conditions, since they are significantly raised above ground level. With the help of such constructions it is possible to decorate the area in an original way, making the strawberries a part of landscape design.

There are several drawbacks here: finances, which are spent on the preparation of the structure, as well as the need for more frequent watering, as the earth dries out faster. If the soil on the site is very dry, then it is best to use trenches for growing strawberries. The preparation process involves digging a hole to a depth of about 30 cm and laying fresh organic fertilizers to the bottom, after which the rest of the surface is filled with compost mixed with soil.

The use of vertical beds is a favorite technique of those gardeners who love to experiment and try something new. This option is also suitable for those cases when there is very little space in the garden and you need to use every meter of space. For the construction of the pyramids, you can use tires, pipes, barrels and more. Strawberries can also be grown in a pyramid-bed, for which boxes of various sizes are constructed, which are folded as they decrease on each other, being filled with earth.

Natural farming is still a priority, especially for rural residents, because the availability of freshly harvested fruits that do not contain nitrates and other substances ensures the demand for such products. To be able to grow strawberries, not only for themselves, but also for sale, it is better to plant it on loamy soil, choosing the most suitable option for forming the beds and properly preparing it for planting seedlings.

To set the stage for strawberries in the fall, You need to hold a number of activities, including:

• digging up the ground so that through the snow it is well moistened for the future bed;
• eliminating weeds in the area where strawberries will be planted;
• the device of a bed in that territory where tomatoes, cabbage or potatoes did not grow;
• changing places for growing berries every four years.

In addition to these activities, it is necessary to fertilize the soil in time, where new seedlings will be grown. For spring disembarkation, it is important to fertilize the land in the fall. In the process of digging up the future bed you need to add manure in the amount of 6 kg per square meter. When the area is almost ready, superphosphate, potassium chloride, ammonium sulfate is poured on the top layer, after which everything is mixed with the earth using a rake. These activities are enough to ensure that the plants that will be planted in a new place, well and quickly took root and actively began to bear fruit.

Preparing beds for strawberries is a very important event, but do not forget about the seedlings, which should also be put in order before wintering. There is a whole range of activities that need to be done with the bushes so that they successfully survive the cold season and please them with good growth and harvest in spring. First of all, it is worth mentioning the feeding, which is carried out three times a year:

• before the start of flowering bush;
• after harvesting;
• in the fall, in preparation for wintering.

You can use both mineral and complex fertilizers, it all depends on the soil and the conditions in which the crop grows. Each gardener himself determines the necessary complex of substances that will help the berry grow healthy and strong. In addition to fertilizer, it is worth remembering about watering, which continues until the moment of significant cold snap. After the last crop was harvested, the soil should be well wateredto create a certain supply of plants for the entire period of frost.

In order for the bushes to grow well and give a good harvest, they must be absolutely healthy, because in the fall it is worth examining each plant and determining exactly what it is affected in order to timely spray it. To minimize the risk of a new infection, before using fungicides and other drugs, we must clean the bed of weeds. It is this kind of preparation that makes it possible to prepare healthy and strong bushes for the winter, so that with the first rays of the sun they will grow and delight the owners with a rich harvest.

Preparation of seedlings for the winter also includes cutting the leaves, which is not fully produced. It is important to remove all the sick and dry parts of the bush so that they do not affect the development of strawberries in the spring. Cutting off unwanted parts, you must immediately collect them from the garden bed, leaving nothing after work, otherwise rotting products can move to a healthy plant and destroy it. In order to protect the seedlings from the cold, it is necessary to mulch them, for which we prepare more dry grass or use other options.

In the snowy edges, this procedure can be omitted, because the snow itself will act as a protective layer.

Organizing a bed with strawberries on the site with your own hands is simple, if you know exactly what needs to be done, as well as the nuances of this work. If you choose a place that is suitable for these berries is quite simple, then it is already more difficult to organize planting. The difficulties are associated with different growing conditions of the berries, in view of which you need to choose one of the options for organizing the beds.

For those cottages, which are located in ravines, where the soil is prone to getting wet and the presence of groundwater, you need to organize a bed on a hill. In the case of construction of a frame for high beds, you should not use natural stone and similar materials, because they quickly lose heat and do not contribute to the organization of a comfortable microclimate in the garden.

Growing strawberries is not easy, if you ignore the basic requirements for choosing a place, variety and carrying out all the necessary activities. Experienced gardeners use modern materials for hiding beds in the process of growth, which contribute to the elimination of weeds and the preservation of moisture in each bush. The use of agrofibre is considered the most suitable for such events, but you can use the available tools in the form of linoleum or dense polyethylene.

Good yields come from strawberries, which were poured on time, well lit by the sun, and received timely supplements. If all actions are carried out systematically, then all 4 years, which the berry will grow on the same bed, it will delight the yields of their owners.

How to prepare beds for strawberries, see the following video.