Strawberry plants are only good producers for three years normally and this is the third year for your plants. I would let them produce as much as I can get. Why grow strawberries if not for the fruit? Al

If the first flowers are small then take those off; wont produce any berry worth anything, but if the flowers are normal to large in size let them be.

Hokie:

Surely you did not transplant the same plants you purchased three years ago into a new bed. Al seems to think so, but I hold out hope that what you have done is to transplant some runners the old plants produced. Old plants acquire long crowns, with the history of all the leaves they have produced written on them. Strawberry plants should be renovated each season, with the old plants removed in favor of vigorous young runners. 3rd year plants will produce little, if anything, in the way of berries.

While we're on the subject of production, many everbearing strawberry varieties can only be called "shy bearers", and that is being kind. If you want real strawberry production in Hokieland, plant a Junebearer like Honeoye, Jewel, or Delmarvel. It's a shame to waste a carefully prepared bed on an inferior variety. Everbearers are supposed to trickle out berries over a long season, but in the real world they take the hot summer months off, except for a few scraggly, misshapen berries.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Hi Don,
You are most correct! but my experience with Eversweet is this, early on lots of large very sweet berries, as summer heats up berries get smaller and fewer; flavor tends to be some sweet and most just fair but the best thing I like about these is that as it starts to cool down again the berries get larger and sweeter and plentiful, I got my last big very sweet strawberry last year on November 4 last year.

The variety is not the issue with the poor performance, rather my first planting location (not enough sun, and alkaline pH) these are good varieties I believe (Quinault, Sequoia and Temptation) I just needed to move them to have any hope to get some berries this year. I spent a lot of time this winter amending the terrible Va clay with chicken manure, compost and pine needles, and the transplants look verrry happy. And regarding the runners, I just seperated a reasonably crowded clump into 8 crowns on one half of the bed, and planted 8 new crowns of Ogallala on the other half. The old transplants are starting to flower and seem to be large flowers in comparison to others I have seen for sale where I work. So I am confident! Thanks everyone

hi, i live in NW Ohio, and have everbearing strawberry plants. I have a stupid question. How do I move the runners on my plants without hurting them? Strawberries are new for me, they did not produce well last year and everyone said it was because it was my first year. But I want them to keep going, so what do I do. And is it alright to add to my strawberry patch? And when should I do so?

Batgirl-

From what i understand (and i was doing it this morning, so it better work) is that you take the runners and put them in small pots (i'm using the square seed starting pots, not the tiny ones) right where the roots are starting to grow and then weight them down (they want to pop back up...some things ive read to use a paper clip, but i'm using small rocks). Leave them connected to the mother plant for a few months (I'm think September or later at this point) and then snip them and replant. I did 42 already this morning and will probably do another 20 or so. I plan on giving some to my brother who wants to start a bed next spring and i'm moving my whole strawberry bed.

My thoughts after a VERY heavy crop this year? Too many strawberries can be a bad thing if your the only one picking. I picked another couple of pounds yesterday (i'm getting sick of them..i've personally probably consumed 10 pounds of berries since early June!) to freeze and noticed a lot of berries starting to rot (its turned wet/stormy and HOT here).

My new bed will be much smaller raised bed with excellent access and just a few plants.

Frank-

Thank you so much for telling me how to do that. I was completely not getting it. I really don't want to kill them. We love strawberries, but try picking boysenberries by yourself you would think your arms are falling off. We have had quite a few strawberries but not as many as I would like to have they are starting to get more again though.

I think I have about 20-30 runners to do, I will keep you posted on how they are doing and let me know how it turns out for you and your runners and new bed.

There is certainly nothing wrong with starting your strawberry runners in pots, but one can lay out their strawberry bed in such a way to skip that hassle. My bed is lain out in rows wide enough that I could straw down between them. Last year (their first year) I carefully placed the runners alongside the original plants in their cultivated row then mulched. I got berries this spring both from the two year old plants and the runners I had let root next to them. The new plants are now finished production and starting to shoot out runners. I'll rake up the straw mulch and lay the runner tips down the isles where the straw was and let them root. Come fall, I'll sever the roots to the mother plants. That'll make my bed full and come next spring, I'll remove the original berry rows and mulch that isle and let the runners from this year be the berry isle. They'll be on their first spring, but more mature than just set out and ready to pick.