We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They all
have strawberries on them, some ripe.

I want to grow a bunch of them. I have four 8' railroad ties. OLD railroad
ties that are bleached white, so most of the chemicals should be gone.

Would an 8' bed raised that high (about 8") be a good bed? We got 10 yards
of good compost from a nursery, and it is very high quality.

Should I mix anything else with the compost? The local dirt is sand dune
blowsand. Should I mix any gravel in for drainage?

I want to put the black half inch pipe in there for irrigation. A friend
who has a lot of strawberries says that they like a lot of water here. It
gets blazing hot in the summer, and pretty cold in the winter. How wet
should I keep them?

I like using different meals, blood, bone, etc, instead of chemical
fertilizers. What would be a good amendment?

Lastly, propagation. Do you just plant them and let them grow? How far
would I separate the plants?

Thanks in advance. Hope this year's garden is better than last year's.

Steve
XXtreme SW Utah
3700' elev
zone 7-8

Visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They all
have strawberries on them, some ripe.

I want to grow a bunch of them. I have four 8' railroad ties. OLD
railroad ties that are bleached white, so most of the chemicals
should be gone.
Would an 8' bed raised that high (about 8") be a good bed? We got 10
yards of good compost from a nursery, and it is very high quality.


8" would be good for strawberries their roots are not very deep. An 8'
square bed will have one big problem, that is you cannot get to the middle
without walking on it. Two 4' X 8' would be much better if you can get more
timber. Or just start with one bed, 4' X 8' is quite a lot of strawberries.

Should I mix anything else with the compost? The local dirt is sand
dune blowsand. Should I mix any gravel in for drainage?


I would try to build soil by amalgamating what ever you have with compost
and other additions depending on the situation.

I want to put the black half inch pipe in there for irrigation. A
friend who has a lot of strawberries says that they like a lot of
water here. It gets blazing hot in the summer, and pretty cold in
the winter. How wet should I keep them?

They will wilt if too dry. Check the soil for moisture when it is hot or
windy and water before they wilt.


I like using different meals, blood, bone, etc, instead of chemical
fertilizers. What would be a good amendment?


It depends on what is in your compost and the pH of it and the natural soil.
You are aiming to correct deficiencies not to overdo it. You are likely to
need more manures or blood and bone etc in subsequent years after some of
the nutrients in your compost are used up.

Lastly, propagation. Do you just plant them and let them grow?

They will spread quite quickly in good conditions. You can expect each
plant to have some pups by the end of the first growing season. You can
plant these out if you want to speed things up for the next year.

How
far would I separate the plants?


Broadly speaking about 30-45cm (12-18in) apart. It depends on how much you
want to spend on stock and how long you are prepared to wait for the bed to
fill. To be economical spread them out, to be quick buy more and put them
closer.

David

"David Hare-Scott" wrote

snipppp

Thanks. That was a lot of good information. I would have made the bed too
wide.

Steve

In article ,
"Steve B" wrote:

We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They all
have strawberries on them, some ripe.

I want to grow a bunch of them. I have four 8' railroad ties. OLD railroad
ties that are bleached white, so most of the chemicals should be gone.

Would an 8' bed raised that high (about 8") be a good bed? We got 10 yards
of good compost from a nursery, and it is very high quality.

Should I mix anything else with the compost? The local dirt is sand dune
blowsand. Should I mix any gravel in for drainage?

I want to put the black half inch pipe in there for irrigation. A friend
who has a lot of strawberries says that they like a lot of water here. It
gets blazing hot in the summer, and pretty cold in the winter. How wet
should I keep them?

I like using different meals, blood, bone, etc, instead of chemical
fertilizers. What would be a good amendment?

Lastly, propagation. Do you just plant them and let them grow? How far
would I separate the plants?

Thanks in advance. Hope this year's garden is better than last year's.

Steve
XXtreme SW Utah
3700' elev
zone 7-8

Visit my blog at http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

What makes you think bleaching will make a difference with creosote?

As an alternative to simply tossing them in landfills, old railroad ties
are commonly used around the home as landscaping barriers and retaining
walls. However, the chemical often used to preserve the wood, coal tar
creosote, can present some problems. This form of creosote, a mixture of
chemicals created by distilling coal tar, is toxic in large amounts or
after extended exposure. It is listed as a probable carcinogen by the
Environmental Protection Agency, and is linked to skin and respiratory
disorders. The European Union recently banned creosote.
Coal tar creosote can also negatively affect the environment. According
to the Creosote Coal Tar Cancer Lawsuits website, the chemical may
³reach the soil as a result of leaking or seeping from treated timber.²
Some creosote components may leach into groundwater and, according to
the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), may take
years to break down. Vice President Colin McCown of the American
Wood-Preservers¹ Association argues that tests on household plants
growing next to old crossties found no creosote residue. ³It really is
fairly safe,² he says. But ATSDR¹s Petro Kacur disagrees. ³We don¹t
recommend that any chemically treated posts or ties be used in household
gardens,² he says.
Home and Garden Television recommends using creosote-treated wood only
for retaining walls. Some faux railroad ties are now available from big
box retailers, but they are typically treated with arsenic, which may
also worry conscious consumers.
CONTACT
ATSDR
Tel: (404) 498-0110
Creosote Coal Tar Cancer Lawsuits
Tel: (800) 632-8400
‹Kerri Linden

You just fixed one problem, why start another?
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They
all have strawberries on them, some ripe.

You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty of
sun (and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has set
out several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off for me
what to plant where. The strawberries are growing into the shaded area,
perhaps 4 or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries more tolerant of
shade than say cucurbits or tomatoes? My current thinking, whether it is
right I don't know, is to plant the greens (kale and swiss chard) in the
less sunny garden edges, the strawberries are there also.

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Thies wrote:

David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They
all have strawberries on them, some ripe.

You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty of
sun (and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has set
out several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off for me
what to plant where. The strawberries are growing into the shaded area,
perhaps 4 or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries more tolerant of
shade than say cucurbits or tomatoes? My current thinking, whether it is
right I don't know, is to plant the greens (kale and swiss chard) in the
less sunny garden edges, the strawberries are there also.

Jeff

I'd guess strawberries need lots of sun and not too much water for big
sweet luscious berries. Around here full sun is the order of the day.
I can't grow them but there are some pick your own places about.
Favorite was Pulios in Clayton now gone.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...tolerant+veget
ables&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Good luck!

--
Bill Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

In article ,
says...

I want to grow a bunch of them. I have four 8' railroad ties. OLD railroad
ties that are bleached white, so most of the chemicals should be gone.

Steve,

When we moved here there were a number of partly rotted out RR ties.

When I cut them down to use the remaining solid pieces to shore up an
eroding part of the hill, every solid section was full of creosote.

YMMV but my experience says that this stuff doesn't evaporate out.

I used them but they are 20 to 30 feet away from anything edible.

Bill who putters wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Thies wrote:

David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They
all have strawberries on them, some ripe.
You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty of
sun (and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has set
out several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off for me
what to plant where. The strawberries are growing into the shaded area,
perhaps 4 or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries more tolerant of
shade than say cucurbits or tomatoes? My current thinking, whether it is
right I don't know, is to plant the greens (kale and swiss chard) in the
less sunny garden edges, the strawberries are there also.

Jeff

I'd guess strawberries need lots of sun and not too much water for big
sweet luscious berries. Around here full sun is the order of the day.
I can't grow them but there are some pick your own places about.
Favorite was Pulios in Clayton now gone.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...tolerant+veget
ables&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Googling that gave me this list culled from this group!

http://www.rickharrison.com/texts/in..._tolerant.html

I was surprised to find these listed:

* blackberry
* currants
* gooseberry
* strawberries
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'd really like to have some gooseberries. Any suggestions anyone? I
know I'll have to mail order them as I've never seen them here.

A lot of Gooseberry info out of the UK. Never thought of it as a potted
plant.

Jeff

Good luck!

Jeff Thies wrote:
Bill who putters wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Thies wrote:

David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day.
They all have strawberries on them, some ripe.
You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty
of sun (and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has
set out several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off
for me what to plant where. The strawberries are growing into the
shaded area, perhaps 4 or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries
more tolerant of shade than say cucurbits or tomatoes? My current
thinking, whether it is right I don't know, is to plant the greens
(kale and swiss chard) in the less sunny garden edges, the
strawberries are there also. Jeff

I'd guess strawberries need lots of sun and not too much water for
big sweet luscious berries. Around here full sun is the order of
the day. I can't grow them but there are some pick your own places
about. Favorite was Pulios in Clayton now gone.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...tolerant+veget
ables&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Googling that gave me this list culled from this group!

http://www.rickharrison.com/texts/in..._tolerant.html

I was surprised to find these listed:

* blackberry
* currants
* gooseberry
* strawberries
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The list is "shade tolerant" that doesn't mean they will do well.. As it
says few edibles (to my thinking this means especially fruits) grow well in
full shade. So depending on how much sun the spot actually gets you might
harvest some berries. If some is better than none and you really have no
choice then go for it. If you want to get the best return on the area used
and your efforts cultivating them put them in full sun.

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Jeff Thies wrote:
Bill who putters wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Thies wrote:

David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day.
They all have strawberries on them, some ripe.
You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty
of sun (and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has
set out several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off
for me what to plant where. The strawberries are growing into the
shaded area, perhaps 4 or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries
more tolerant of shade than say cucurbits or tomatoes? My current
thinking, whether it is right I don't know, is to plant the greens
(kale and swiss chard) in the less sunny garden edges, the
strawberries are there also. Jeff

I'd guess strawberries need lots of sun and not too much water for
big sweet luscious berries. Around here full sun is the order of
the day. I can't grow them but there are some pick your own places
about. Favorite was Pulios in Clayton now gone.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...tolerant+veget
ables&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Googling that gave me this list culled from this group!

http://www.rickharrison.com/texts/in..._tolerant.html

I was surprised to find these listed:

* blackberry
* currants
* gooseberry
* strawberries
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The list is "shade tolerant" that doesn't mean they will do well.. As it
says few edibles (to my thinking this means especially fruits) grow well in
full shade. So depending on how much sun the spot actually gets you might
harvest some berries. If some is better than none and you really have no
choice then go for it. If you want to get the best return on the area used
and your efforts cultivating them put them in full sun.

David

David, Jeff has already said that he doesn't have much sun, encourage
him to grow his strawberries, even without full sun, he can expect some
strawberries. Jeff would love to have more sun, but he is doing the best
he can with what he's got, like the rest of us, and just like 3,000
small farmers in Louisiana did when they formed a combination local
union and cooperative to market the early crop of strawberries back in
1952. These little farmers, many of them Italian-Americans, had an
average of three acres of strawberries in cultivation. For two years the
cooperative unions' orderly marketing of strawberries brought better
prices to the growers, with no increase cost to the consumer
In the political campaign the strawberry farmers mobilized and voted for
Adlai Stevenson. As soon as the Eisenhower administration started,
trouble began for the Louisiana strawberry farmers, even thought they
had no guns (not rifles or shot guns), warships, or rockets. The new
administration's first successful prosecution under the Sherman
Anti-Trust law was directed against the 3,000 little strawberry farmers.
Shirley, you don't want to be like the Supreme Allied Commander in
Europe, who was officially designated as the Supreme Allied Commander of
the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), serving in a dual role until the
end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945. In these positions he was
charged with planning and carrying out the Allied assault on the coast
of Normandy in June 1944 under the code name Operation Overlord, the
liberation of western Europe and the invasion of Germany, and the
crushing of small strawberry farmers, who may or may not had sufficient
sunshine.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

"Jeff Thies" wrote in message
...
David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They
all have strawberries on them, some ripe.

You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty of sun
(and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has set out
several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off for me what to
plant where. The strawberries are growing into the shaded area, perhaps 4
or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries more tolerant of shade than say
cucurbits or tomatoes? My current thinking, whether it is right I don't
know, is to plant the greens (kale and swiss chard) in the less sunny
garden edges, the strawberries are there also.

Jeff

Thank you for bringing that up. They would be shaded by a large apple tree
for about half the day, but our summers here are brutal bright sunshine, so
they would have a lot of reflected light, and 5-6 hours direct. Enough?
Too much?

Steve
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com soon to be a book

Steve B wrote:
"Jeff Thies" wrote in message
...
David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve B wrote:
We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They
all have strawberries on them, some ripe.
You missed talking about sun, probably because the OP has plenty of sun
(and didn't ask), I don't.

I have a single strawberry planted in the fall last year that has set out
several pups. I have little open area and it's a trade off for me what to
plant where. The strawberries are growing into the shaded area, perhaps 4
or 5 hours of full sun. Are strawberries more tolerant of shade than say
cucurbits or tomatoes? My current thinking, whether it is right I don't
know, is to plant the greens (kale and swiss chard) in the less sunny
garden edges, the strawberries are there also.

Jeff

Thank you for bringing that up. They would be shaded by a large apple tree
for about half the day, but our summers here are brutal bright sunshine, so
they would have a lot of reflected light, and 5-6 hours direct. Enough?
Too much?

Well, there is only one way to really find out!

Strawberries appear to be more tolerant of less light than other
fruiting plants. They have a denser leaf canopy which I believe helps.
A little more shade might help with your water requirements.

I have a friend who got her back yard cleared out (it was very
overgrown) and had a garden put in. I went to look at this just a day
ago and found that the peachtrees had been planted under another tree,
they will have to grow into the tree. The garden itself is between two
trees, and will get a couple hours of full sun in the middle of the day.

Now, it looks to me that when all this was done that they had
considered many factors but not how much sun!

As Billy has pointed out, you have to work with what you have, but
you should try to make the best use of it.

Jeff

Steve
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com soon to be a book

On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:53:46 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

We bought some killer one gallon strawberry plants the other day. They all
have strawberries on them, some ripe.

I want to grow a bunch of them. I have four 8' railroad ties. OLD railroad
ties that are bleached white, so most of the chemicals should be gone.

Would an 8' bed raised that high (about 8") be a good bed? We got 10 yards
of good compost from a nursery, and it is very high quality.

Should I mix anything else with the compost? The local dirt is sand dune
blowsand. Should I mix any gravel in for drainage?

I want to put the black half inch pipe in there for irrigation. A friend
who has a lot of strawberries says that they like a lot of water here. It
gets blazing hot in the summer, and pretty cold in the winter. How wet
should I keep them?

I like using different meals, blood, bone, etc, instead of chemical
fertilizers. What would be a good amendment?

Lastly, propagation. Do you just plant them and let them grow? How far
would I separate the plants?

Thanks in advance. Hope this year's garden is better than last year's.


The best bet is to check with your county extension agent. They
should have the best information for your immediate area. Unless
someone who posts here lives very near you and has grown what you are
asking about, the answers you get here are mostly guesses.


Here is a link to finding the one closest to you.
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a

In article , says...


I have used creosote on and off all of my life, and have reached 69
willout any ill effect.
so either I have been very lucky or it is not as bad as we are led to
believe.

My bet is on "lucky."

....That you may be lucky in no way makes the product safe, or safe for
home use.

And having done further research I now know that chronic exposure can
induce nephrotoxicity, renal toxicity and neurotoxicity...

http://jmedicalcasereports.com/content/1/1/102

Which is an inhalant abuse case, and at least cautionary.



http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factshee...prelim_risk_as
sess.htm

With special attention paid to:

"6. Are railroad ties safe for me to use for landscaping around my home?

There are no approved uses of creosote to treat wood for residential
use. The Agency is aware that creosote-treated railroad ties are being
used in the residential setting for landscape purposes and, in some
instances, as a border around gardens. Such uses in residential settings
are not intended uses of creosote and have not been considered in the
preliminary risk assessment. If you do have creosote-treated wood in
your yard, you are reminded to consult the handling precautions outlined
above in this document."

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=65&tid=18

With special attention to the pargraph:

"If you are exposed to wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal
tar pitch, or coal tar pitch volatiles, many factors determine whether
you'll be harmed. These factors include the dose (how much), the
duration (how long), and how you come in contact with them. You must
also consider the other chemicals you're exposed to and your age, sex,
diet, family traits, lifestyle, and state of health."

"phorbin" wrote in message
...
In article , says...


I have used creosote on and off all of my life, and have reached 69
willout any ill effect.
so either I have been very lucky or it is not as bad as we are led to
believe.

My bet is on "lucky."

...That you may be lucky in no way makes the product safe, or safe for
home use.

And having done further research I now know that chronic exposure can
induce nephrotoxicity, renal toxicity and neurotoxicity...

http://jmedicalcasereports.com/content/1/1/102

Which is an inhalant abuse case, and at least cautionary.



http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factshee...prelim_risk_as
sess.htm

With special attention paid to:

"6. Are railroad ties safe for me to use for landscaping around my home?

There are no approved uses of creosote to treat wood for residential
use. The Agency is aware that creosote-treated railroad ties are being
used in the residential setting for landscape purposes and, in some
instances, as a border around gardens. Such uses in residential settings
are not intended uses of creosote and have not been considered in the
preliminary risk assessment. If you do have creosote-treated wood in
your yard, you are reminded to consult the handling precautions outlined
above in this document."

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=65&tid=18

With special attention to the pargraph:

"If you are exposed to wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal
tar pitch, or coal tar pitch volatiles, many factors determine whether
you'll be harmed. These factors include the dose (how much), the
duration (how long), and how you come in contact with them. You must
also consider the other chemicals you're exposed to and your age, sex,
diet, family traits, lifestyle, and state of health."

I don't want to eat the stuff, or make a house out of it, or use it to sleep
on.

Steve