Gardening Success – Our First Strawberries

Last year for Mother’s Day, Dave and our son gave me four strawberry plants which I transplanted into one of our square foot gardens in the backyard.  Now according to Mel Bartholomew’s book, All New Square Foot Gardening, you shouldn’t allow the shoots to take root because they sap the energy from the mother plant.  So throughout the spring, summer and fall, every time I noticed a new shoot I would trim it off and plant it in small pot.  When each had taken root and gotten well established, I transplanted them into the garden beside the others.

From four small plants, we now have this…

The area covered with black garden fabric (<-affiliate link) is waiting for any new baby plants I get from them this summer.  Though if they produce as many shoots as last year, we may well have to build another square foot garden and even then, we’ll still probably have lots to give away or trade.

This morning when I glanced out our bedroom window, I noticed that some of the berries looked ready to pick so out I went with bowl in hand.  I can’t tell you how delighted I was to find that there weren’t just a few ready but several.  I came into the house with almost a full bowl of plump, ripe strawberries.

The plants are simply loaded with green ones.  Between what we’ll get through our CSA share and that little garden, I may not have to buy any extra organic strawberries this year to make jam.

Just for fun, I decided to weigh this morning’s harvest.

Almost 1 ½ lbs.   And that’s just the first picking.  To say I’m pleased is an understatement.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information please check my Disclosures and Disclaimers page. It doesn’t cost you any extra, but it does help support this site.

I would be so pleased if you chose to share by clicking on one of the buttons below!