Strawberry fields forever

Just a few weeks ago I worked with my son's pre-school and kindergarten to design and install some new kid friendly garden spaces. My favorite element, though, was the strawberry tower.

This was a little bit expensive for one tower, but the good news is that the plants are perennials,  so with a bit of care hopefully the plants will produce strawberries for years to come.

Some notes about strawberries
There are two primary eating kinds: 1) June bearing and 2)Everbearing. June bearing produce one crop (in Oklahoma) for a short window during May to June (or end of April this year!). Everbearing produce continuously throughout May and June with other small crops possible in summer and fall. For a school group that will not meet during the summer, I would recommend either an early or mid-season June bearing. Groups that will meet through summer should consider everbearing varieties. Strawberries need full sun and frequent water at the roots but should never be left in standing water. Ozark beauty, All star, and Early glow might be two varieties to try here because they are resistant to many diseases. And Albion and Seascape are everbearing varieties noted for doing well in containers.


The recommended time to put out transplants here is February 1 to March 20th, or some areas can get away with establishing plants in fall before frost. However, we put ours in April 10th and they are quite happy! Choose plants that are shiny, not powdery (indicates fresh pesticides or possible fungus), vigorous, and without many brown leaves or bug damage. Make sure to check the undersides of the leaves to make sure you are not bringing home any visitors! Plants from small local nurseries will probably have received better care than those from large retail stores. Mail order might be another great possibility to find a particular variety. Also at the very least look for plants that have some white flowers, however your students will be delighted faster if you pick some with small white berries already growing! Bloom to berry is 18-45 days!

The materials used:

• 4 plastic garden pots that stacked: $14.99, $12.99, $10.99, $8.99
• 3 40lb. bags (we actually only used 2.5) of cheap garden potting soil: $9.00
• 1 flat of strawberries: $18
• About the equivalent of 2 bags of compost (Our city is fantastic in providing a city-wide compost program so we can get compost for free if you scoop it yourself)
• bird netting: $8 

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Total cost: $82.96

*This project could be drastically cheapened by using used pots or pots acquired at places like garage or estate sales. (Make sure to wash used pots in a bleach water solution first to avoid contaminating your plants). Strawberries are also very prolific growers and every few years need to be thinned, so check around if anyone has any to give away!

 We also had kid wheelbarrows and shovels available.

The process
The project was done after school and we had about 10 students and three adults helping with the project. The kids eagerly helped scoop compost and soil into each pot. We filled each about 2/3 full to start. Then they used their shovels to mix the pots.

Next we stacked and nested the pots. I found some terra cotta pots for the same prices, but had purposely chosen these plastic ones, just in case one were to fall on a kid.

Finally we added our plants about 5 -8 inches apart on each level. It is a little tricky to get them wedged between the pots. In this case shake most of the dirt off and then tuck them into holes on the edges. It is important to set your strawberries in the dirt at about 1 inch below the stem line. This keeps them from rotting or drying out.

Fill holes with remaining dirt/compost mixture. We then added a few spoonfuls of Strawberries AliveTM organic fertilizer to each individual plant. I happened to already have some at home so I did not charge the school for this cost. You could also add compost and a liquid organic fertilizer like a fish emulsion blend monthly. They are heavy feeders so you will have to feed often.

Care
Drip irrigation or hand can watering works best and do not let soil dry out. Because these are in raised pots they will probably need daily watering and perhaps twice a day in the heat of the summer. When berries begin turning red, cover with a bird net. Put straw on the berries before heat of summer and again for winter. Ladybugs (see upcoming article!) and insecticidal soaps can be used to deter aphids and spider mites. This elevated method may give some protection from roly-pollies and snails. Planting marigolds nearby will also attract beneficial insects.