When to pull back strawberry mulch

General Fruit Growing
1

I put in some small strawberry beds last spring. The plants did well and even got some berries from the everbearing ones in the fall. After the leaves died they were covered in a straw and pine needle mulch for the winter. I have been wondering when the right time would be to pull back that mulch and let the plants start to warm up again.

Anyone have any thoughts, best if you can reference fruit tree growth or some other indication, as my climate is quite a bit behind many others in similar zones/latitudes.

Thanks.

2

Pull it back before they bloom.
(But in case of frost, be prepared to pull it back over them!)

Myself, never did any covering…just lost what I lost…and at my location that usually isn’t too many blossoms. (Not in a valley.)

1 Like
3

You are getting close. You are supposed to do it after last frost. I have not always been able to and I didn’t see any damage. Still I try to wait. The reason for covering is to keep them at a steady temp. You are not protecting them from the cold as much as keeping them at a steady temp. You should not cover till you get in the 20’s. It’s probably worse to cover early then to pull covering early. Also June bearing should undergo renovation after harvest. The best guide I have seen is here. Such a wealth of into here.

1 Like
4

Are we still going by traditional last frost? I know things can happen, but we are so far ahead of the usual schedule–here about 3 weeks. I wondered the same.

5

I think you have to guess, I can say if wrong, i would not recover them as suggested. Freeze or frost does mess up blooms, if blooming recover! I don’t worry about it otherwise. I have left some uncovered and noticed that fewer survived. Covering them does help. But short exposures are tolerated well, just not by the flowers.

1 Like