How to grow strawberries in Tennessee? Strawberries are among the most adaptable home fruit trees since they can be easily produced in various planting spaces, from tiny to big.
They are a fast-growing crop, taking around a year (or less for certain varieties) from sowing to strawberry harvest.
Homegrown strawberries can be put into multiple traditional gardens, raised strawberry beds, yards, or even container planting spaces.
They require little maintenance and take up little space.
Sounds easy, right? However, if you want fresh and juicy strawberries, it is not. Let’s learn how to grow strawberries in tn and enjoy the abundant crops below.
How To Grow Strawberries In Tennessee?
Strawberry gardening in Tennessee may be an enjoyable activity. Productive glossy fruit production is feasible with the right clay soil, a favorable climate, and proper care.
Tennessee has an ideal environment for strawberry cultivation. The soil qualities are typically suitable.
What Should We Prepare Before Growing Strawberries In Tennessee?
Selecting The Best Site
Fresh strawberries require full light and a well-drained environment or strong growth media to thrive. Furthermore, certain soil-borne illnesses can spread from other fruit crops to our strawberries.
Avoid planting where peppers or tomatoes were once sown. It is like we cannot grow tomatoes and cucumbers together.
Containers or raised beds are an excellent alternative. When previous crops or drainage are problematic, a soilless planting mix may be utilized.
Decide The Growing System
Matted Row: This planting schedule suits people who want to do multi-year crops.
Many household growers may adopt a growing practice that strawberry runners can develop to facilitate longer-term production.
We can generate daughter strawberry plants for future cultivation in the same bed. As the daughter strawberry plants develop among the older trees, this strawberry plant growth pattern is known as a matted row.
During regeneration, prune down the older population of trees to provide an area for runner strawberry plants to root in.
It lowers the possibility of pest problems. We can control them easily as they are grown in a neat row.
Besides, the system’s main benefit is minimizing annual costs and garden space. The disadvantages of this planting method are small fruits and lower yields.
Plus, soil-borne pathogens can pass from the previous crops as we don’t have time to renew strawberry patches.
Annual: This method is for single crops in a year.
In the southeast and eastern regions, strawberries for sale are typically cultivated as an annual crop seeded in fall or late summer on plastic-covering raised beds. It is also known as plasticulture.
They develop over winter and will be harvested in the early summer or late spring. Plants are thrown away after one strawberry season, and the system is restarted in the autumn with fresh plants.
This form of yearly production may also be employed on raised beds for non-commercial purposes. It is known as an annual hill method with a layer of mulch.
The benefit of this method is that there is time for refreshing the growing soil conditions. We don’t need to do pruning a lot, and the plants will develop vigorously.
However, we must replant them and remove the crowns, increasing costs. Plus, the annual yield is lower than the matted row method.
Prepare The Growing Condition
Test the pH of the garden soil using a nursery test kit. Strawberries grow best on slightly acidic soil pH levels of 5.5 to 6.5. When the pH of our Tennessee soil is too low or too high, we will need to modify it.
With a pitchfork, soften the soil and discard any big stones, sticks, or rubbish. Adding a 1-inch layer of rotted manure and rich compost may make loamy soil.
Supplement the soil with lime when the pH is less than 5.5 and peat moss when the pH is greater than 6.5. For distribution quantities and application procedures, refer to the package instructions.
Make holes a square foot of space that is the same size as the nursery pots housing the strawberries. Rows should be 4 feet apart from others.
Insert one strawberry seed into each hole. Fill the holes and pat the soil. It will help remove any air pockets.
After sowing, thoroughly water the strawberry plant with a soaker hose. Maintain the soil wet to a 1-inch depth during the development.
Tennessee receives 53 inches of rain each year, which is sufficient to grow agriculture.
In the absence of rain, additional watering is required after a couple of weeks. Organic matter can be helpful for fruit development.
When To Plant Strawberries In Tennessee?
When To Plant Strawberries In Zone 5
If you just want to plant homegrown strawberries on a home scale, you can plant them whenever you want. Strawberries are sturdy, cold-tolerant crops that may be grown outside.
It’s normally a few weeks before West Tennessee’s final frost day. In Zone 5, people are advised to grow their strawberries on April 9th.
When To Plant Strawberries In Zone 6
We should plant strawberries in spring. Strawberry plants will get stronger before the warm weather of the summer months hits.
Besides, The strawberry roots will develop more. Strawberries should be planted on March 31st in Zone 6.
When To Plant Strawberries In Zone 7
Excessively coldest months may harm strawberries. However, they are normally tough and can withstand some degree of cold weather conditions.
In fact, certain strawberry kinds, such as everbearing varieties or day-neutral strawberry plants, are deliberately developed to endure mild winters.
Thus, we may sow the strawberry seedlings whenever we want. But when we want fresh and tasty fruits, it is advisable to plant them in zone 7 on February 6th and choose some firmer fruit cultivars.
When To Plant Strawberries In Zone 8
If you reside in a region with a short growing period, you can think of planting strawberries in raised beds or pots. They can be relocated indoors if required.
In Zone 8, the ideal time to plant bare-root strawberries is January 31st.
What Are The Best Strawberries To Grow in Tennessee?
Finding the most suitable types of strawberries for fruit production in Tennessee is more difficult than one thinks.
Some demand additional care, some are susceptible to pests, and others are too difficult and time-consuming to cultivate. Here are some good varieties of strawberries for you.
Ozark Beauty Strawberry
Ozark Beauty strawberries thrive exceptionally well in zones 4 through 8 and may even thrive in zones 9 or 3. They are especially well-suited to colder regions and greater heights in the south.
The plants need full sun and an inch of water every week.
The pH of 5.3 and 6.5 is best for this cultivar but it will do well in pHs of 5.0 to 7.0. Ripe strawberries feature a rich red hue on the outside.
They are juicy with a strong sweet flavor. It is a wonderful option for almost any household snack.
Earliglow Strawberry
Earliglow strawberries are the most largely grown in the United States and East Tennessee. It yields a huge, attractive fruit ideal for eating fresh or making jams.
You could anticipate a significant summer yield from the Earliglow strawberry crop.
The best part is that it is also an exceptionally good strawberry. The Earliglow Strawberry should be grown in full-sun cultivation.
It thrives in full light, whether in strawberry fields, a conventional garden, a raised bed, or strawberry jars.
Jewel Strawberry
In cold soil temperatures, many strawberries and their blooms will perish. Jewel Strawberries are the opposite. It is cold-tolerant, making it ideal for Tennessee or any other state.
Strawberries have an extremely limited shelf life when they are plucked.
Jewel Strawberries are an exception. This strawberry is among the few that do not rot. Go for Jewel plants when you wish to develop a bigger strawberry than others.
This strawberry variety will yield some of the world’s biggest strawberries.
Flavorfest Strawberry
Infection is one of the most serious risks to strawberries. The Flavorfest Strawberry is disease resistant to a certain extent.
It can develop particularly to thrive well in soil moist and fungal disease-prone environments. The type of strawberry plant produces large delicious fruit sizes.
Furthermore, this strawberry is extremely delicious and prolific. It is also quite simple to grow.
Grow the fruit in the well-drained soil in our yard that receives full light and a little garden fertilizer (10-10-10 fertilizer as instructed by producers). Now, we can watch our plants develop.
Conclusion
How to grow strawberries in Tennessee? You can choose the most suitable cultivar, the site for planting.
Besides, you can decide on the growing system as instructed above and do some necessary activities for preparation.
