Features
What Do Organic Growers Do About Growing Strawberries?
Without the right mix of nutrients, water, and sunshine, strawberries can be a disappointing crop. But as strawberries grow best on soils with high levels of organic matter, organically grown plants frequently produce excellent results.
Varieties
Cambridge Favourite has been popular for generations, has an excellent flavour and a degree of resistance to botrytis which is the main scourge of strawberry growers. However, producing strong healthy plants in weed free conditions is probably more effective in keeping disease away from your crop than choosing any particular disease resistant variety.
The current favourite of many gardeners is the relatively new variety, Elsanta. It grows extremely well organically with large firm fruits that will keep better than Favourite. So they don't have to be picked every day. Lovers of strawberries won't understand this advantage.
Redgauntlet is another popular variety chiefly because if you look after the plants well they will repay you with a second crop in the autumn.
Soil
Strawberries are heavy feeders and will do best on soils that contain high levels of organic matter such as garden compost or animal manure. But avoid fresh manure or compost as this can assist the spread of mildew and botrytis.
Sufficient potash is vital for a good crop. Wood ash mixed into the soil at the rate of 1 oz per square yard or seaweed meal at the rate of 3 ounces are good sources of this fruit making element.
Liquid seaweed is an excellent foliar feed for strawberries, especially during their crucial flowering period
Weeds
The cause of nearly all problems with the low growing strawberry plant is its inability to compete with even the smallest weeds. Weeds can strangle the crop, attract slugs, and provide a damp medium for the spread of all kinds of diseases. Some form of mulch is necessary.
Mulching
As their name suggests, the traditional material for mulching strawberries was straw, but modern organic gardeners are more likely to use black polythene. While planting through the polythene is a tedious process, it is highly effective in keeping down the weeds. It will also help to retain moisture. This is especially important when the fruit begins to form as insufficient moisture will result in smaller berries. Furthermore, a mulch will prevent the strawberries coming into contact with damp soil and thus reduce the risk of botrytis.
Diseases
A brown/grey mark on a berry is evidence of botrytis. A traditional remedy for this disease was spraying the crop with two ounces of waterglass mixed in a gallon of water.
If you are unfortunate enough to come across a strawberry with botrytis don't lose your temper and fling the offending fruit up in the air. That would be the best way of broadcasting the spores of the disease over the rest of the crop. Place it carefully in a plastic bag before removing it.
Keep an eye out for aphids. Apart from leaving a sticky black mess on the fruits, they may be carrying a virus. If natural predators are unable to cope with them, the safest solution is to introduce the biological control, aphidoletes aphidimyza.
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