Can strawberries be planted in June?

Experienced gardeners know that the most favorable time for planting garden strawberries is spring and autumn. But sometimes, due to some circumstances, it is not possible to start work in these months, and summer residents ask themselves: is it possible to plant strawberries in June? Of course, no one forbids planting this beloved plant in early summer. And, although the cultivation process will be associated with certain difficulties, the next season you can get a full harvest of tasty and aromatic berries.

Choosing a landing site

The correct choice of the site where garden strawberries will be grown is the key to a rich harvest. The landing area should be flat, with a slight (2-3 °) slope to the southwest. You should not plant plants on steep slopes, where in winter the wind blows off the snow, and in summer it dries the soil very much.

Depressions and lowlands are also not suitable for breeding this crop. In the lowlands, in spring, water stays for a long time and cold air stagnates, which can destroy plants even with slight frosts. Groundwater in places where strawberries grow should approach the surface of the earth by no more than 1 m.

It is not recommended to plant strawberries in the area where potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers previously grew. But the beds from under onions, garlic, carrots, beets, peas, lettuce and spinach can be safely planted with berry bushes.

Important!

It is not recommended to grow strawberries in one place for more than 5 years. In order for the berry to remain large and healthy, it is necessary to periodically change the planting site and varieties.

The roots of the plant do not tolerate a lack of oxygen, therefore, when planting, it is necessary to choose places with light, air-permeable soil. In addition, to facilitate the flow of air to the root system, the berries should be planted on small mounds and the ground should be loosened during the summer.

Preparing the soil for planting

It is necessary to prepare the land for planting strawberries in advance, without waiting for the onset of June. The first step is to check the soil for the presence of May beetle and wireworm larvae. The favorite habitats of these pests are areas located near the forest belt. To disinfect the soil, use ammonia water or plant alkaloid lupine.

To cultivate the soil from pests should not be by surface spraying of the site, but so that the insecticide gets into deeper layers. After all, it is there that most of the insect larvae lie. The plot is freed from weeds and the land is plowed 30 cm deep. Immediately before planting, the soil is cultivated by immersing the cultivator's plow 15–20 cm into the soil.

Fertilizers are usually used depending on the composition of the soil. Garden strawberries require intensive nutrition, so when preparing the site, you can add 1 sq. m of land 2-3 kg of manure, 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride and 20 g of ammonium nitrate.

How to plant strawberries in summer

You can plant strawberries in June both as seedlings and seeds. Of course, seed planting requires more time and effort from the summer resident, but the result is a plentiful and high-quality harvest.

Planting seedlings

It is better to plant garden strawberries in cloudy weather so that the scorching sun does not burn the leaves of the plant. Fertilizers are applied to the prepared soil. If the site is dominated by loams, add sand.

Planting strawberries in summer is not much different from similar work in autumn and spring, the main thing is to adhere to certain recommendations.

• Before planting in the ground, the seedlings should be kept in a cool place for 5-7 days so that the plants become a little hardened and get used to the temperature drop.
• It is better to arrange strawberry beds in pairs, leaving at least 40 cm gaps between rows. Seedling bushes should be planted at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other. If you leave passages of 60-70 cm between pairs of rows, then the processing of the site will be much easier.
• When planting, the root system of the plant should be located vertically, so long roots are cut to 10 cm.
• For good survival and rapid growth, it is very important to plant a bush of seedlings at the required depth.

Important!

The ground level when planting garden strawberries should be flush with the apical bud. If the seedling is planted too deeply, the growth of the plant slows down, and with a high planting, the root system dries up. You can avoid difficulties in choosing the planting depth by purchasing seedlings in cassettes or in pots where the root system of the plant is closed.

• After the seedling bush is planted in a permanent place, it must be well watered.
• To reduce the evaporation of moisture from the soil surface, to reduce the likelihood of cracks and dry crust, and also to prevent the rapid growth of weeds, it is necessary to cover the bed with mulching material. For these purposes, you can use sawdust, straw, peat or pine needles.
• After a few days, the strawberries can be fed with complex fertilizer.

Fabric landing

When planting strawberries in summer, it is recommended to use a special cloth to protect the soil from drying out and cracking. The prepared ridges are covered with agrofibre and the canvas is firmly fixed by pinning to the ground with metal staples. In pre-marked places, holes are made for seedlings.

The advantages of this planting method are as follows:

• there is no need for weeding, since weeds, deprived of the flow of sunlight, themselves die under the fabric;
• with a sudden drop in air temperature at night, which sometimes happens in August and June, the root system of the plant will not freeze;
• protective fabric perfectly permeates water and at the same time does not allow it to evaporate quickly;
• the bushes do not touch the ground, so the berry is always dry and clean.

When planting strawberries on fabric, the risk of plant disease is significantly reduced, and the possibility of damage to the berries by rot and pests is minimized.

Seed planting

Strawberries can be planted with seeds. It is advisable to do this in the event that you want to get a specific variety, but it is not possible to buy the necessary seedlings. Seeds are sown in boxes with a pre-prepared mixture. The germination of strawberry seeds is low, therefore it is advised to germinate them first and sow them thickly when planting. The box is covered with foil so that moisture does not evaporate, and ventilated several times a day. As soon as the first leaves appear, the boxes can be opened. The grown seedlings must be planted in the ground, following the rules described above.

How to care for strawberries in summer

Strawberries are a whimsical plant, and in order to get a full harvest, you need to constantly look after the plantings. When growing this crop, attention should be paid to timely and abundant watering, especially if it is a hot summer. It is better to water the plants in the morning with not too cold water. During flowering and in August, when the crop is harvested, you can water the strawberries using the sprinkler method.

In order to detect a diseased or pest-affected plant in time and take appropriate measures, without waiting for the disease to spread to all plantings, it is necessary to regularly inspect the leaves from the outside and inside.

It is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds throughout the season. This will facilitate the access of oxygen to the root system of the plant, and will not allow moisture to accumulate in one place.

It is important to feed strawberries properly throughout the summer season.Before flowering, you can apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers twice. This will increase the number of ovaries and improve fruiting. After picking the berries, superphosphates are added to the soil.

If you adhere to the recommendations of experts on choosing a place, the rules for planting and caring for strawberries, you can plant this crop not only in May and August, but also in June, and at the same time get a full harvest.