I can’t believe we’ve lived here for 18 years and I’m finally getting around to planting a dedicated strawberry bed. I did try strawberries in the back when we first moved, but the only mammals that got to enjoy them were the chipmunks. I even tried covering the plants with an elaborate chicken wire cage and putting wire under the bed. It didn’t matter; they got them all anyway.
This year, I’m hedging my bets in a few different ways.
- First, I’m putting the strawberry plants in my new 4 raised garden beds (that are part of my greenhouse landscaping).
- I’m only planting on the inner corners of each bed, hoping this helps with deer issues.
- Each row of strawberries is covered by a chicken wire cloche that I will fasten down firmly when the berries start producing.
- By spreading the strawberries out among four beds, I’m hopeful they won’t all get eaten before I am able to pick them.
I want strawberries mostly for everyday eating. I don’t like cooked strawberries in any form, not jam, not in a pie. Ideally, I’d like berries for as long a season as possible, so I planted several different varieties:
- Jewel strawberries: planted in the northwest bed from bare root purchased from Heeman’s in London, Ontario. A June-bearing type, they should produce berries from mid-June to early July.
- Wendy strawberries: planted in the northeast bed from bare roots, also purchased from Heemans. They are an early-harvest June-bearing variety producing large, bright red berries. Also, they are a Canadian variety, so are very cold-hardy.
- Everbearing in the southwest bed. I have two varieties of overbearing, one from a neighbour (on the north side of the bed) and the second, Albion, from Heemans (on the east side of the bed). Both were planted as plants—my neighbour’s were planted last fall, and Albion was planted this spring.
- Costco strawberries: I’m a sucker for nice looking plants, so when Costco had strawberry plants, I picked up a few. These were planted in the southeast bed. Interestingly, the tag said they were not cold hardy, so this may just give me a kick start with strawberries this year since any planted from bare roots won’t provide fruit until next season.
So, the beds look pretty, and I have varieties that should produce berries throughout the season. Now we wait to see if I can’t beat the deer, chipmunks and raccoons to the fruit!
We are looking into the Hartley Greenhouse option. Your diary entries regarding the process were so valuable. Our contractors have never prepped a site for a greenhouse. I am concerned about the “questions to ask” Hartley to pass on to the contractor. I don’t want costly errors. Do you have any more tips not listed in your essays?
Hi Christine, I think my biggest recommendations are to make sure your contractor understands they must follow the blueprints. There is no margin of error that can be fixed later like building a house foundation. The greenhouse is metal not wood that can be cut to fit. Also, you need to figure out how you will use the space and what services you will need in terms of heat, water, electrical etc. I added radiant heat after the fact which was much harder. Figure out these things up front if you can with your contractor and ask about options! Lastly, if I could to do it all again I would add a large extra empty conduit into the base for future service needs before any landscaping. I hope that helps.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful projects. Your gardens are somehow both humble and dazzling. I can see how an incremental approach and clearly defined planting zones can make large landscaping goals feel “do-able”!
Not to mention how much your posts remind me of a simpler, kinder Internet that reminds me why I fell in love with computers and the magic of connecting with strangers.
I am in 5A (perhaps now 4B) in the northern Rockies and thanks to your blog I am now 100% confident that I’ll be able to install radiant floor heating from the house to my small greenhouse thanks to your blog! Our budget is small but as you mention it will save money in the long run. Besides, the extended season during our long winters is priceless.
Thank you for your time and all the effort spent to compile and share your different data points – I am a social/behavioral scientist but my plants are the real experiments. Do you use a home weather station for your garden journal and if yes, what kind?
Thank you again!
Hi Samantha, thank you so much for the kind comments! I agree I miss the days of garden bloggers on the internet.
I can say that going into year 3 I’m still in love with my radiant heat in the greenhouse. During extreme cold periods I put the plants on the floor and they love it. The soil stays very warm and it seems to create stronger growth. I may use this to my advantage to force some plants to bloom earlier in the season this year.
In terms of a weather station I don’t have one. I do have temperature sensors in my greenhouse (SensorPush). For the weather on the blog I’m using a plugin called RK Weather. I’m lucky I have someone who programmed it to work on my website when I publish a journal post. I can publish same day weather or backdate and pull historical weather. Very handy since I tend to write my posts mostly in the winter.
Enjoy your greenhouse!!!
Sharon