Strawberries for Food and Color
Strawberries make effective and useful border plants for terraces or flower-beds. Planted in jars, barrels, or “stacked” in a pyramid, they can be attractive landscape features. Straw-berries can be used as a groundcover in sunny or partially shaded situations. In North Carolina coastal areas, plants set in September or October should produce berries the following year. In other areas of North Carolina, plants are set in the spring.
If you already have strawberries in rows or beds: Remove mulch if necessary and narrow garden beds and rows with a garden plow or rotary tiller. A sharp spade also will do a good job; thin plants to 6-to-10 inches apart and remove weeds from rows. While plants are weed-free, apply a pre-emergence herbicide to control weeds. Follow directions on container. Fertilize, water, and keep up insect and weed control.