In the foreground of this picture is a very small strawberry plant. Ashley really loves strawberries and was excited by the idea of eating some out of our garden so she bought a plant and put it in the ground. We lost the first two little berries to some kind of mold. In doing research to figure out what might be wrong I read that there are basically two ways to transplant and grow strawberries: 1) primarily used in the low country, is to plant the transplant in the fall (october or november) and let it overwinter and produce in the spring. This method allows the strawberry plants to be annuals. 2) primarily used in the upstate, is to plant the transplant in the spring but pinch off any berries in the first season so the plant spends its nutrients on building roots and runners. Then the next spring you harvest what berries are grown. My source (Clemson HGIC) didn’t indicate which method is preferred if your climate would allow both, but it doesn’t sound like we should expect to eat any strawberries straight off the vine this year.
In the background of the picture are the Better Boy tomato plants that are growing very well (one plant is already to the second rung of the tomato cage!) and the marigolds that Ashley thoughtfully planted around the tomatoes as a surprise for me. Marigolds attract several types of pests that feed on tomatoes - they don’t attract them toward the tomatoes, the marigolds draw the pests away from them.
2 years ago