How to tidy strawberries in spring

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Tuesday, 22 March 2022 at 9:33 am

Find out how to tidy strawberries in spring, ready to provide tasty fruits later in the year.

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It's a good idea to tidy congested strawberry beds before the growing season begins. This prevents the build up of fungal infections such as botrytis, and also removes shelter for pests such as slugs and snails.

The important bits of the plants are the small shoots in the crown's centre, which produce flowers then fruit.

Follow our guide to tidying strawberries in spring, below.

You Will Need

Secateurs
Hand fork or trowel
Fertiliser

Total time: 20 minutes

Step 1

Removing dead foliage from strawberry plants

Using secateurs, cut out any dead leaves and also the larger leaves that are already clothing the ground around the main crown of the strawberry plants.

Step 2

Weeds, especially perennials, are a real problem in strawberry beds, so use a hand fork or trowel to lift out any now before they get a chance to swamp plants.

Step 3

Use a small fork to aerate the exposed soil around the plants, then top-dress with a general garden fertiliser to boost growth and flowering.

Replacing strawberry plants

After three to four years, fruit size and quality declines so you will need to replace your plants with new stock. Instead of buying new plants, try doing this by growing new strawberry plants from runners.