Grow Everbearing Strawberries in Home Garden

Grow everbearing strawberries and you will enjoy sweet and juicy berries for eating right off the vine or adding to your favorite recipes or frozen drinks. Many gardeners grow June-bearing and everbearing strawberries to extend the growing season and to have a larger crop. This strawberry is easy to grow; one plant will produce one quart of strawberries. 

  Growing Instructions:

1. Get your garden ready for strawberry planting in early spring
2. Choose a garden site that has not been used to grow vegetables; potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant.  
3. When growing strawberries it is best to choose a garden bed that is new; this will prevent soil-borne diseases and pests.
4. Strawberries grow well in sandy loam that has been amended with compost or manure. 
5. You can grow strawberries in the ground, in containers, or in a raised garden.  
6. For in-ground gardens choose a hill or a slope for the garden site or grow on flat ground that is well drained. For healthy strawberries, you will need to select a growing site that has full sun and well-drained soil. Strawberries grow best when the soil ph is 5.5 to 6.5.
7. For smaller yards or a balcony you may grow strawberries in a pot provided there is proper drainage and the strawberries get a full day of sun.
8. Purchase strawberries as a bare root from an online nursery or buy direct from a local garden center.  Or you can buy strawberry plants that have strong leaves and stems.  
9. Plant the strawberries in spring after the danger of frost has passed.
10. Before planting bare-root strawberries you will need to hydrate them, do this by setting the roots in a tepid pan of water and allowing the roots to hydrate for a half hour.
11. Plant the strawberries in a hole that is the same depth as the nursery container.  Set the strawberry in the center of the hole and spread out the roots so that they grow outward from the crown.  Backfill the soil and water so that the soil is moist but not wet.  Space strawberries that are planted in a row garden 14 inches apart. There should be two feet of space in-between rows, as this will allow the runner ample space to grow.
12. Care for strawberries by keeping the garden bed weed free.  Also, water the berries daily in the morning with dripline irrigation.  Strawberries need 2 inches of water per week to produce plump and juicy fruit.  For best results keep the soil evenly moist by not wet.  Apply organic mulch; wood chips, sawdust, or shredded leaves around the strawberries to keep the roots cool.  Feed in spring with a 10-10-10 fertilizer.  

Tips:

• Protect your strawberry plants throughout winter with a light covering of straw.
• Everbearing strawberries are easy to control as they put out fewer runners.
• Harvest strawberries in spring, summer, and fall
• Remove flowers and or berries from nursery-grown plants prior to planting.
• Strawberries planted too deep will not produce berries and will die.
• Grow everbearing strawberries in USDA zone 4 to 8
• Repel pests from the strawberry gardens with spent coffee grounds or mix diatomaceous earth food grade into the soil. 

Dry Set Flagstone Patio or Walkway Installation

A dry set natural flagstone patio or walkway is a great way to enhance your outdoor living space.  Flagstone is available in many natural color schemes and I am sure there is a stone that will compliment your landscape. 


Before you begin this do it yourself project decide on the design. Look at natural stone patio and walkway books and research online for images on flagstone patios and walkways. 

Designing a stone patio or walkway is fun.  There are not many steps involved in the layout of the patio, however, the installation of the stone, sand, and gravel is high labor. I would suggest that you pace yourself with the dry set flagstone patio or walkway installation; you may want to consider completing the DIY project over a long weekend with a couple of your friends.

In 2004 I moved to a historic adobe home in the Southwest region of North America.  My husband and I loved the architectural design of the home and that it was a green home.  We also admired the landscape as the home sat on 1/4 acre. I knew as soon as I saw the landscape that a natural dry set flagstone patio and walkway would not only accent the home but would compliment the outdoor living space.

 In order to complete the natural stone patio design, my husband would need to excavate the land. He was eager to rent equipment to achieve this task. And when the land was cleared we decided that we would install the patio and walkway the last week of June in 2004. 

We purchased the flagstone and all of our supplies at a wholesale rock company. For our patio and walkway we used 2 tons of flagstones and edging stone, we also purchased pea gravel and AB3 sand.  Our total costs for the patio and walkway came to $11.25 a square foot. 

Tools needed

A rubber mallet, garden tools, spade, wheelbarrow, level, white marking paint, heavy-duty leather gloves, 2-wheel dolly, plate compactor, garden hose, and a broom. (Note: you can rent a plate compactor at a construction supply store or you can buy one at a home improvement store or amazon.com

Flagstone patio and walkway instructions

Start the installation of your flagstone patio and walkway by deciding on the location and determining the length and width of your patio and walkway.  A walkway that is three foot in width is good for a residential home and the patio length and width is your choice.  

Flagstone Garden Path Card by Susang6

Outline the design of your patio with white marking paint.  Step back and view the layout and make changes if desired.  When you are satisfied with the layout of the patio and walkway you would then measure the length and width of the patio.  

You need the measurement to determine the quantity of natural flagstone, edging stone, course pea gravel, and AB3 sand that is needed to complete the project.

After you determine the location for your patio you would use your spade or tiller to remove the grass and soil to the depth of six inches.  Remove the excess dirt. 

I utilized the extra dirt to fill in low areas of my yard where the water did not drain and I also added it to a raised garden. 

Use your garden hose to wet the base of the patio lightly.  While the area is wet, add one inch of AB3 sand and one inch of course pea gravel in the base of the patio and walkway.   

Compact the mixture of sand and gravel.  After you compact the sand and the gravel you would add your edge stone, the edge stone is a personal choice as you do not need it.  We added edge stone because I liked the look of the stone, I thought it gave the patio a more finished look.  

After the edging is installed you would then apply 2 inches of sand on top of the compacted surface.  The sand is needed to set the stones.  

Laying flagstone

Choose elongated stones that will allow you to walk across the patio easily. Start laying the flagstone in the corners and work your way to the center.  

Set the stones into the sand and then use your rubber mallet to tap the stones lightly.

Work the stones into the sand by shifting the stones or tapping with the mallet.  We used a tight joint with large and small stones.  We 

When the flagstone layout is completed you may add an inch, of course, pea gravel around the stones or you may leave the flagstone in the dry set.  We opted for the pea gravel as it did prevent the stones from shifting and we thought the addition of gravel was eye appealing. 

Complete the flagstone patio by sweeping the stones to remove any excess sand or gravel.  When the surface of the stone is clean attach the nozzle on your hose and set the dial on the mist. Lightly mist the entire patio.  Allow the patio to dry before walking on it.

Tips:

All the photographs that you view on this post are of the natural flagstone patios I have designed for clients. Do not copy the photographs and use them on your website without an active link back to this article and photo/article credit.