Winterizing Strawberries

Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits you can grow, but they require special care to survive our Kansas winters. Strawberries can survive pretty cold temperatures, but they do best if protected in the winter. Mulch protects the plants from cold temperatures and freeze/thaw cycles that the plants can experience in the spring. The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the ideal time to mulch our strawberries to protect them.

We must wait until the strawberries are completely dormant before we mulch them in for the winter. With last week’s cold temperatures, we should go ahead with these lovely days and mulch those plants. Temperatures down to 15 degrees can damage strawberries if they haven’t fully hardened off, while strawberries that are hardened off can easily handle much colder temperatures. Straw makes excellent mulch for strawberries. Spread a three-inch layer of mulch over the top of your strawberries. Make sure the mulch is not in large or thick clumps, which can smother the strawberries. In the spring, we will need to remove the mulch as new growth starts and soil temperatures are warming up. If you aren’t sure when to remove the mulch, wait till we have stopped the freeze/thaw cycle so the plants are less likely to be heaved out of the ground.

Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits. We planted a new strawberry bed this summer, and I’m looking forward to having some berries in the spring. With just a little care, you can easily have strawberries for years. As a reminder, strawberries can handle cold temperatures once they are adjusted to the fall.

 

Have questions? Contact our office where our Horticulture Extension Agent will assist you with questions.

Phone: (316) 321-9660

Email: callae@ksu.edu