• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Strawberry Season

May 28, 2014 by Jeanne

It’s strawberry season here at Seven Oaks, and the fresh strawberries have just started ripening this past week. I love nothing more than fresh strawberries picked from the plants, swiped on a shirttail to remove the dirt, and consumed immediately. There’s nothing sweeter than a fresh strawberry. Even the WORST fresh strawberry makes store ones pale by comparison. To say I’m an enthusiast is an understatement.
strawberry season

My own strawberry patch is in a raised bed approximately 8 feet by 4 feet. I planted “Everybearing” strawberry plants purchased six years ago. The mother plants have successfully sent out runners and rooted daughter plants, which I move every few years during the spring so that the bed can expand.
The soil consists of a mixture of compost from the local sawmill, manure and compost, some potting soil and as much additional compost as I can layer on. I find that strawberries are heavy feeders, and the more compost I can add, the better.
 

The three pests that plague my strawberries are, in order: Japanese beetles, crows, and squirrels. The Japanese beetles eat the leaves, and they do plenty of damage, but I’ve chosen not to use pesticides on my berries. The bed looks awful during June, but by August most of the damage to the leaves done by the chewing insects is overcome.

The birds are another matter entirely. They’re tough to outwit. Netting might help, but I haven’t invested in it yet. As soon as the berries are the perfect shade of ripeness, crows bite the ends off. I try to hide the berries under leaves, which seems to work. If they can’t see it, they don’t eat it.
As for the squirrels, well…the only squirrel smart enough to find my strawberry patch last year also found the ripening peaches on the tree near the vegetable garden. Alas, he met his maker when Whitey, one of our outdoor cats, pretended to be a white panther, stalked him and dispatched him to the after life.  So far, my strawberries have been fine.
How to Grow Strawberries
I’ve written several great links on how to grow strawberries. These articles will teach you how to grow your own strawberries in your home garden.

  • How to Grow Strawberries
  • Strawberries in the Home Garden

Strawberry Recipes
I don’t have any of my own original strawberry recipes to share today, so I thought I’d be an archivist and instead share three links I’ve found to a ton of great recipes to use your fresh strawberries. 

  • Southern Living shares 51 recipes for fresh strawberries. Their magazine is usually great when it comes to recipes. Some look absolutely mouth-watering!
  • Cooking Light is always one of my favorite recipe sources. Here they’ve listed 20 recipes for fresh strawberries.
  • Taste of Home is another magazine which published great recipes. Here is the link to their collection of strawberry recipes.

 

post signature

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « How to Plant Tomatoes
Next Post: Growing Lemon Trees from Seeds »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Swimray

    May 29, 2014 at

    I had my first strawberries from my plant. Last year squirrels, birds, and slugs got to them first, but no Japanese beetles. They don’t show up in my yard for some reason – someone suggested because of an abundance of shade in the neighborhood.
    Ray

Trackbacks

  1. Tucking Your Strawberry Plants in for the Winter says:
    October 20, 2015 at

    […] need special care and preparation in order to survive a cold winter. Here’s how to tuck your strawberries in for their long winter nap so that when they awaken in the spring, they’re raring to […]

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners
  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a tea pot, cup and saucer with mint leaves on the saucer

Free eBook on Herbal Safety

The Herbal Academy is offering a free ebook on herbal safety! I just sent an email out to our Home Garden Joy community and downloaded my copy and WOW – not only is it chock-full of information, it’s beautiful to look at, too. And free. Did I mention free? Learn More About Using Herbs –…

Read More

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme