Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
your planting—no more than four strawberry plants per
square foot.
Strawberries do extremely well in raised beds.
Strawberries should be well fertilized with compost and any
needed organic amendments and be mulched with straw or
fallen leaves after the last frost. They occasionally fall prey to
botyritis blight, a gray mold that can grow on the berries. To
keep this controlled, keep the beds clear of debris, make sure
strawberries are harvested when ripe or slightly underripe,
and spray with an organic fixed-copper fungicide as needed.
Apples and Pears
Apples and pears are the quintessential home fruit trees and
can be grown in almost any part of the United States. A wide
selection of modern and heirloom varieties are available that
are suitable for fresh eating, preservation, and pies.
Apples and pears offered in nurseries are usually produced by
grafting the scion wood of the desired variety onto a more
hardy compatible rootstock, such as that of flowering crab.
The original rootstock can produce shoots below the graft
(known as “suckers”), and these should be trimmed as soon as
they are spotted.
