ADDITIONAL FACTS
We space our rows 40 inches apart center to center, but only allow a 10-inch plant Row width. The 30-inch no-plant space between rows provides walking aisle space for pickers and good air movement, which reduces disease issues. It also reduces competition for sunlight, water and nutrients, which results in larger and better quality fruit. During fruiting, the net aisle space between rows is much less because the leaves and fruit clusters from adjacent rows occupy much of the space.
Strawberries may be the most widely adapted fruit species on earth. They have evolved and adapted in the wild from equatorial to arctic regions, from saline beaches to Alpine environments. Characteristics vary widely, but there are two basic types, day neutral land seasonal bearing.
The basic difference is day neutral types can set fruit buds independent of day length and therefore exhibit “ever-bearing characteristics”. This is the type shipped in from Florida, California and Mexico. Seasonal bearing types only set fruit buds during short day conditions, generally 12 hours of daylight or less. Consequently they set buds in the fall and produce one concentrated crop of fruit in later spring, early summer. These are the “June-bearing” types that we grow for local consumption in our temperate climate.
Crop potential is determined the previous fall, so it is very important to have healthy plants in the fall and protect them over-winter. During most winters with normal snowfall for insulation against the cold, plants would not be damaged. If damage does occur the plants usually recover, but dormant fruit buds in the plant crown can be damaged or destroyed, even if the plant survives.
