Uncovering Strawberries in Spring Time

Inside: It’s that time of year again–uncovering strawberries in spring. Read the latest post in our ongoing pursuit of growing great strawberries.

Yes, it’s that time of year again–or, rather, it’s past that time because normally I remove the mulch from the strawberries in March. This spring has been unseasonably cold, and I’ve hesitated uncovering the plants until this past week. Nightly temperatures in the mid-twenties will do that to a gardener.

But we’ve had a break–or maybe an end to cold weather?–and that thick layer of mulch I placed on my strawberries back in late fall needed to come off so the tender plants can have access to the sun. Tuesday afternoon I removed the hay I’d used and the strawberry plants were a green-yellow with pale yellow stems. I peeked in on them this afternoon, just two days later, and the stems are turning a deep red color and the leaves are greening up nicely. I’m eager to see them after the rain they’re predicting tomorrow.

I never tire of watching things grow!

How to Care for Strawberries in Early Spring

A few points to consider before uncovering your plants for spring. Take a peek under the mulch and see if your strawberries are starting to grow. If so, remove about half of the mulch layer and place between rows. Weather permitting (nights above freezing), in a week or so you can take off the rest of the mulch, but keep it handy to recover plants in case of hard freezes–below 28 degrees F.

Your strawberries will benefit from some fertilizer in the spring, but make sure you do not apply fertilizer between the flowering and fruiting stages. Once they do start growing, place the mulch back around the plants to keep the weeds away. I use newspaper as the bottom layer of mulch with hay on top. Strawberries hate weeds, and they will thank you for the extra attention.

Come June (or May for me) you will be rewarded with lots and lots of delicious berries.