Where does strawberry grow?

It is extremely rare to meet those who do not like strawberries at all. The reason is not only in its taste, but also in the benefits of the fruit.But knowing exactly where to pick strawberries, and how exactly to do it, is relatively little.

Regardless of where the collectors go to the forest, they need to know what they are looking for. Strawberries are among the perennial herbs. The fruits of the plant resemble strawberry, but they are inferior in size. The main roots are subtle, short and brown. It is necessary to look for plants that spread along the ground with a thin mustache, which subsequently give new shoots.

Foliage of strawberries covered with teeth on the perimeter. It is characterized by mesh veins. When the grass blooms, the stems are covered with white flowers. Growing strawberries in large glades. Only in the home culture, it can develop single shoots.

Strawberries in Eurasia are growing almost everywhere, especially many of them are found in Russia. The plant can be found in both parts of the Americas. Even in northern Africa, it is sometimes found. But strawberry places even in our country must be sought especially carefully. In Russia, this plant is found in the fields and forest edges.

In some cases, strawberry shoots form a dense mass distributed throughout the meadow. In some forest belts, it also occurs. These plants are widely distributed in light forests, characterized by low density. In the suburbs delicious berry is harvested both in forests and in fields abandoned by humans. In general, there are a lot of berries in the region, the fruits are juicy and large in size.

Plants ripen in mid-June. In July, the fruits concentrate an increased amount of juice and acquire real beauty. Experts recommend harvesting in the morning or evening. The summer heat is bad for their quality. Moreover, berries taken in the heat can quickly deteriorate, not to mention the fact that it is inconvenient.

If the summer is very hot, harvesting strawberries should be done as quickly as possible, otherwise the crop will spoil on the bushes. Often it is believed that all you need is to find the berries and put them in baskets or buckets. But in fact, there are several subtleties that make it possible to exclude the occurrence of problems. Experienced collectors always take the berry directly with their hands, refuse to use any tools. All devices are capable of causing damage to the shoots, due to which the same bush will lose the ability to bear fruit. Only ripe berries are allowed, an unripe harvest is not able to ripen in isolation from the bush. Such berries only quickly rot or dry.

For strawberries to ripen fully, the interval between charges should be 1 day. However, in very hot weather, harvesting is required every day. Fresh strawberries should be placed in a cool dark place as soon as possible. Direct sunlight will soon damage the berries. It is recommended to use a cloth or other means for covering.

Experienced collectors say that those who want to find a lot of strawberries in nature should look for it in shady areas. The first is to get to the field and inspect them. Choosing a suitable site, you want to inspect the grass on it. After walking around several glades, a unique forest gift will be revealed. The problem can only be that the berries are hidden by grass. We'll have to carefully examine it, planting foliage.

This process can hardly be called fast, especially for the first time. Those who are just beginning to search for strawberries and have not yet studied its location in the forest will definitely spend the whole day. There is no need to blame yourself or uncomfortable, "wrong" plant, especially to rush to search for new places. Nothing can be done about it.You can only spend more time and thoroughly remember the places where there is a delicious berry. It should even make a plan or mark on the map. Perennial grass grows steadily on the same places, and once having found them, in subsequent years the collection time will be noticeably reduced. In any case, it makes no sense to go or go to the forest until the end of May.

Another nuance: even in the best and most proven places, strawberries grow depending on the weather. If the spring is warm, the period of harvesting comes earlier and vice versa. In July, there are few chances to find good strawberry bushes in the Moscow Region: even if there is no intense heat, animals will show interest in the berries.

Additionally, it is worth considering the following nuances:

• the ripeness of meadow strawberries comes 10–17 days later than that of the forest;
• where one bush was found, there are probably others nearby;
• strawberries are often masked under the low bushes of other plants;
• searching in the densest part of the forest does not make sense;
• in the same way, the search for strawberries under fir and pines will be a waste of time;
• in the meadows it is necessary to look where the grass has reached a great height and the shrubs visible from afar grow.

Before sending to the forest it is useful to look at the photos of strawberries in reference books and specialized publications. Then the risk of missing it will be minimal without simply knowing it. The harvested crop must be immediately bred, freed from tails and washed. Along with the use of fresh, you can dry the berries. Another good way to handle them is to make jam and stewed fruit.

It is very easy to distinguish ripe berry from unripe berry: it should be separated from the cup without any extra effort. You can not collect the stalks, cups and stalk.

Regardless of the place of gathering and the time of entering the forest, you should remember such simple rules as:

• you can not try, collect unknown or causing the slightest doubt berries;
• wear clothing that is guaranteed to protect against ticks;
• it is necessary to use repellents whenever possible;
• You should definitely have a 100% charged phone, matches in a plastic bag, a paper map or a navigator;
• about a trip to the forest and the estimated time of return it is advisable to at least someone to report.

Leningrad region strawberry grows throughout. It can be collected both in the south and near the administrative border with Karelia. Berry maturity occurs in June, and the collection is possible almost until the end of summer. You can find the necessary bushes in coniferous or mixed forest, there is almost no chance in the meadows. Connoisseurs note that you cannot count on a solid collection. The main areas to concentrate on are glades and light hills.

If you really need, it is advisable to explore the shores of lakes and approaches to the marshes. In the latter case, of course, they take maximum precaution, look under their feet and check the ground before each step. In Kirishsky district, the Bright and Bird Cherry Lake have long been true landmarks for the collectors of wild berries. In Gatchina, the real “Mecca” is the village of Taitsy, and in Kirovsky it is the area of ​​the Maluksa station. In order to eliminate blunders, it is recommended whenever you plan your hike to get acquainted with the latest information from specialized communities. In the suburbs it is worth being guided by grassy slopes, meadows, the southeast of the region is especially attractive. The bulk of strawberries grow in Yegoryevsky, Shatura, Naro-Fominsky and Serpukhov district.

On how to grow wild strawberries on your site, see below.