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Old 06-06-2006, 09:15 PM posted to rec.gardens
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Default Strawberry fields forever

Barren strawberries is a variety of strawberries, as are wild
strawberries and what we call around here alpine strawberries. They
don't develop from some other type, nor will they develop into some
other type. You will continue to reap what you (or some bird) have
sown. Wild strawberries are found everywhere, as their seeds pass
through the birds and germinate without being buried. They are an
attractive ground cover, but spread everywhere. Some people eat them,
but I think most of us prefer one of the larger varieties. If you want
eating berries, I would tear out what you have and buy whatever variety
you want.

Many states, if not all, have universities with an agriculture
specialty, and a web search for strawberries and the name of your state
might get you to one of them. They usually list the varieties that do
well locally. I seem to recall that they usually recommend buying
plants from a good nursery, rather than transplanting something you
found, to minimize the chances of importing disease. You will also want
to decide if you want an everbearing variety, or a June bearing variety,
or the third, which I have forgotten.

Every good garden should have a strawberry patch. Ours have even been
spread into the flower beds (the birds, no doubt) and just this week
they started ripening and we are rich in sweet berries.

Doc wrote:
I had some strawberries growing in a garden at a house I was renting out.
One of my tenants had planted them. The were large delicious and spreading
themselves quickly. I transplanted several of the to my new house. The
first year they did not do much, which I kind of suspected would happen.

This year they took off. First the plants grew tall and had a flower. I
saw bees around them and figured they were being pollinated. They stared
sending out spreaders which was great. However all the berries are the
small tasteless things what we used to call wild strawberries.

What happened to my berries? Can I do anything to save them? If I have to
replant new strawberries how do I keep this from happing again?

I posted the above question in a different ng. So far have found the
strawberries I now have are called barren strawberries. I still don't know
how or why they apparently changed. Any help is appreciated.

Doc