Last year, I planted my strawberries in the fall and let them overwinter in the bed. They were dormant until late Feb/March, came back to life, and have been producing berries all April and May. Now they're going strong as we're getting into June, and have started throwing out runners as well.
They are sweet and juicy, and I'm very happy with them. So instead of planting new strawberries each spring, I think I'll be planting in fall and overwintering each year. So I've been propagating new plants from my runners, and will let them establish over summer. Once my current crop stops producing, I'll replace with my new plants and let them overwinter for next year. (Note: These are an everbearing species, not June bearing.)
It's pretty easy to propagate new plants from the runners strawberries throw out, so I made a quick video to show my process. Here are some tips for beginners if you'd like to follow along and grow your own strawberries from your existing plants!
Tip #1: I use no more than 2 runners per mother plant at a time, so it's not using too much energy and will keep making strawberries in the meantime. If too many runners are trying to produce baby plants, it will affect the amount of strawberries being produced.
Tip #2: Gently form the soil so it's sloping down from the middle out towards the rim. It does not need to be a drastically shaped "hill" but strawberries are sensitive to rot, so sloping away from the crown will help it stay healthier in the long run.
Tip #3: Cut off the runner beyond your baby plant. Then all the energy can go into the one baby instead of multiples, and help it root faster without affecting the mother plant as much. Once it's rooted, cut the main runner and you have your new strawberry start!
That's about it! I love propagating my own strawberries like this, especially when I can repeat year after year and produce my own supply instead of spending money at the nursery.
What are YOUR favorite strawberry methods? I'd love to hear it in the comments, and please include your zone as well for reference. :) I'm in 9B California, so our winters are mild and strawberries are relatively easy to grow here. Happy Gardening!!
-Kate
www.katesbackyardgarden.com