Why Grow Strawberries?

I believe strawberries should be in every back yard garden.  There, I said it!  You may be thinking, " But Kellye why in the world should I grow strawberries when I can just run to the store and grab a pint?"  Let me tell you... It is simple... "they just taste so much better."  You will absolutely not believe how much better everything tastes when it is grown in your back yard garden, and strawberries from your garden will not disappoint. Once you taste those berries straight from your backyard garden you will never look at store bought strawberries the same way ever again.  Another important thing to consider when deciding if you should add strawberries to your garden is that today, more than ever, we do not know where are food is coming from!  And the only way to be certain that we know what we are feeding our families is to grow it ourselves!

Does it get any more Wild Child than Strawberries? 

When I stop and think about what are some must haves in a Wild Child Garden, strawberries are at the top of my list.  Did you know that strawberries are one of the few things we plant in our backyard garden that will stay put from season too season?  We talk so much about living "In Season" in the Wild Child Garden Club, I mean we even have a magazine devoted to living in season, and to me strawberries are the perfect introduction to living seasonally.  If you are new to the concept of seasonal living let me show you what I mean.  In the Wild Child Garden Club strawberries are planted in late fall, as bare root plants. So, just as the weather is cooling off and we are shifting our focus to the holidays we plant our strawberries. Done.  They are planted and situated in their beds, and we will continue to water and feed them through the winter with our fall and winter garden.  Now fast forward to early spring.  Just as the days start to warm up, the robins begin to appear, and the crispness in the air is replaced by warmth on our cheeks, those strawberries we planted in fall will begin to wake up too.  You will begin to see little white flowers on your strawberry plants that will soon turn to little green berries, and finally to big red juicy strawberries.  And you will be picking strawberries at the same time that you begin wishing that you had some homemade jam for your picnic lunch.  This is the perfect example of living in season.  And this is why strawberries will always be found in our Wild Child Garden. 

Have I Convinced You?  

If you are anything like me at this point you can probably taste the strawberry jam, and imagine you, your kids, your grandkids, all running out to your garden to grab the first strawberries of the season.  But you are probably also thinking, " Ok Kellye, you talked me into it.  But how in the heck do I grow strawberries in my backyard?"  First things first, you will need to decide what type of strawberry you want to grow, and where you want to grow them.  We discuss all the pro's and con's of the different varieties here in our course called The Secrets of Strawberries. This course will walk you through the entire process from start to finish.   One other thing to consider before running out and buying strawberries is that strawberries also can be planted with asparagus, and no Wild Child Garden is complete with out some fun and unique companion planting!  Learn more about growing strawberries and asparagus together HERE.

If I haven't quite talked you into planting strawberries just yet, I think this will definitely seal the deal for you.  Strawberry plants produce "daughter" plants every year any once your plants are established in your garden, you can begin propagating these daughter plants for an almost endless supply of strawberry plants for years to come.  

I talk more about strawberries and why I will always find space for them in our backyard garden (and why I think you should too) in episode #41 of the Wild Child Kitchen Gardening podcast.  Listen HERE and grow strawberries for goodness sake!!