The first strawberries of 2023 ripened the last week of June, perfect timing for our national summer holiday called Midsommar! I spent absolutely nothing on these lovely berries, since I propagated them from runners. Do you want to grow strawberries this summer?

I'm looking forward to picking homegrown strawberries in my garden later this season. Here in Sweden where I live, it's still a little too early. But I can dream! After all, few things are as quintessentially summery in an edible garden as strawberries. That's why I want to share a few useful tips with you, whether you're thinking about starting to grow them or just want to improve an existing strawberry patch!

Read more: Remontant strawberries - Harvest strawberries all summer long

Best results in year 2-3

The first thing you need to know about growing strawberries is that even though the plants return for a few years, you get the largest yield from a single plant during year 2 and 3. So, if you buy your plants this year, just be prepared to get the best results in the coming two years. After that, the yield will get smaller and smaller. That's why you need to replace your strawberry plants every fourth year.

If you want to start growing strawberries in your own garden, I say that it's better to get started as soon as possible. Just get the plants in the ground - you can always change the layout of your garden and move your plants somewhere else later. My guess is that you'll want to get more plants as soon as you see the first delicious, red berries anyway! The most important step is simply to start somewhere.

Sun and soil

Strawberry plants thrive in moist soil. One way to easily achieve this is to cover the ground around the plants with straw, woodchips, leaves or similar to keep the soil damp. Using mulch also helps keep the berries nice and clean.

I grow strawberries at home. Here in full sunshine and with a drip irrigation system that makes sure the soil is damp.

Grow strawberries in different spots

Plenty of little critters adore strawberries, among them snails, ants, mice, voles, birds, (and children too for that matter). If you want to increase your chances of success when you grow strawberries at home, you might want to put your plants in different parts of your garden. The probability of getting them all infested should be quite low. If you have a lot of issues with pests in the garden, then you might want to grow strawberries in large pots. I have done this before in my greenhouse, which is a great environment for strawberries because of the sheltered and warm conditions in there.

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Cut the plants

I always try to cut my strawberry plants after harvest (cut the leaves off that is). Don't worry, the plants will start to grow again in summer. But cutting the leaves is a great way to reduce the risk of fungus until then. I think it's very handy to cut them, because I clear some space and can take a good look at how the runners are doing at the same time.

Read more; Companion planting with strawberries

Grow strawberries with runners

My last tip is to propagate your strawberries every year, so that you always have new plants to transplant to the garden. After I harvest my summer strawberries, I cut the plants and gather runners. I then put these in plug trays or individual pots, and wait for them to take root. After that, I plant them in new spots in fall or the following spring. This is a great way to get new plants without visiting the garden center!

If you do decide to buy new plants, then you can find them in most garden centers or nurseries. Just make sure to do some research on the variety that you're interested in, so that it fits your garden. I enjoy picking a few varieties with different flavors, appearances and growth rates. You can for example find remontant strawberry plants, which means that they produce new flowers again and again. These varieties could even produce new harvests until the first frost comes in fall.

Read more: Cheesecake with the best berries of the season

One thing to remember is that strawberries don't require an actual garden to grow just fine. As long as you give them soil, water and sunshine, you can grow them basically anywhere. In large troughs or pots on your balcony or terrace for examplel. If you decide to grow strawberries like this, I think you should go for remontant varieties. That way, you can pick them several times and enjoy strawberries throughout summer.

Good luck!
/Sara Bäckmo