06 Mar Growing pick your own (PYO)strawberries
Growing strawberries for a Pick-Your-Own (PYO) farm entyerprise requires careful planning to ensure a high yield, good fruit quality, and beautiful fruit for your customers.
Below we look at a guide for a successful strawberry PYO area:
Choosing the right strawberry varieties
For PYO farms, its best to choose varieties with the following attributes:
- Have a long picking season (early, mid, and late-season varieties).
- Produce large, flavoursome, and firm fruit that’s easy to pick (not too much ‘squeeze’ need to detach the fruit)
- Are disease-resistant to reduce losses.
Some recommended varieties:
- For early season – Honeoye, Christine
- For mid-season – Elsanta, Cambridge Favourite
- For late season – Florence, Malwina
- For all season – Albion, Finesse
How to prepare the soil for strawberry growing
- The choice of site is crucial in establishing and growing a successful strawberry crop. You should choose a well-drained (light sand/loam would be ideal) sunny location with good air circulation to reduce disease risk.
- Preparation is key – strawberries prefer well-drained, loamy soil with a pH of 5.5 – 6.5. Add organic matter (compost or well-rotted manure) before planting.
- Ease of picking – we won’t suggest covering a field with raised beds to make picking easier but, on a smaller scale this would definitely be a benefit to your pickers. Raised beds also improve drainage.
Planting & spacing of strawberries
- There is always an ideal time when it comes to plant any crops and these can be time as well as weather-dependant. The best planting time for strawberries is March April or August September.
- Seed spacing – Ideally 30 – 40 cm apart in rows spaced at least 75 cm apart to allow easy access for pickers.
- Mulching (when you add a thick layer of organic matter (usually manure, compost or bark) on the surface to save water, suppress weeds and improve the soil)
Irrigation & Fertilization of strawberries
- Drip Irrigation (involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates (2-20 litres/hour) from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters or drippers) This ensures consistent moisture without wetting the leaves therefore reducing disease risk.
- Fertilizer – Use balanced fertilizer (10-10-10 NPK) or specialised strawberry feed. Apply potassium-rich fertilizer before flowering for better fruiting.
Pest & disease management of strawberries
- Common Pests you will find around strawberries are: Aphids, slugs, and spider mites – try to use natural predators or organic sprays to eliminate these.
- Common Diseases amongst strwaberries are: Botrytis (gray mold), powdery mildew – you should ensure a good airflow, remove affected fruits, and use fungicides if needed.
Extending the harvest season of strawberries
- If you really want to extend your strawberry growing season, it would be ideal to plant a mix of early, mid, and late-season varieties.
- Frost protection – Use polytunnels or fleece covers to protect early crops from frost and extend the season.
- Grow all season varieties (as mentioned above: Albion, Finesse) to provide fruit throughout the summer.
Another thing to cosider with a soft fruit PYO enterprise is; do you have good ‘foot-fall’ and easy access?
If you have a roadside field with a high volume of passing potential customers, thats a great start.
If you are off the beaten track and 3 miles down a sigle file dirt track, you might need to adverytise more ands provide better access but, by making the most of your offer, you can give a great experience to your customers.