Autumn care for strawberries. These steps will ensure a bumper crop next year

Beautiful, sweet strawberries are a highlight of any garden. After all, it’s these fruits that children look forward to the most. Strawberries aren’t particularly demanding to look after, but they do need proper care throughout the year. Only then will you reap the harvest you’re surely hoping for. Bowls full of beautiful, sweet, juicy strawberries are reward enough for simply looking after the plants properly throughout the year. We’ll focus on caring for strawberry plants before winter, which is very important.

What needs to be done in the autumn?

No, there’s no need to worry – these aren’t complicated or time-consuming tasks. First and foremost, we need to give the strawberry plants a thorough inspection. If we spot old brown leaves and brown shoots, these must be removed completely. Of course, the runners must also be removed, as they weaken the plant. If you’re not planning to propagate strawberries in this way, be sure to cut off the runners.

Tip: We planted new strawberry plants and set onion sets among them.

Strawberry plants deserve some compost

If we spread a thin layer of compost amongst the strawberry plants now in autumn, we certainly won’t do any harm. On the contrary, we’ll enrich the soil with nutrients in a perfectly natural way and improve the structure of the substrate itself. It’s also worth applying an autumn fertiliser. This must not be nitrogen-based, but must contain other important elements such as potassium, phosphorus and other trace elements. A mixture of fertiliser and compost will help protect the strawberry roots throughout the winter.

Photo: Radek Stepan

When and how to cover strawberry beds

Winter protection for strawberry plants is very important. As soon as you notice the leaves turning red and temperatures drop below freezing, you should take note. This is the moment when you need to cover the strawberry plants and protect them from frost. Protection can be provided using a layer of straw approximately 10 cm thick. Alternatively, you can use a heavier-weight garden fleece, ideally 30 g/m² or more. Thanks to these measures, the strawberry plants should remain in ideal condition throughout the winter.

Sources: Author, Meta, tojenapad.sk

Photo and photogallery: Radek Stepan