Pea plant problems.  Say that three times fast!

I received a great question from one of my readers that I wanted to post.

Question from Val:

That is great information. Do you have any suggestions for how to handle pea plants that start to go brown before they produce??

My answer:

Hi Val,

Great question. One of the most common diseases to pea plants is root rot. It is caused by a fungus in the soil and attacks the roots of the plant eventually causing the leaves to turn yellow/brown. Another common problem, more so in the Pacific Northwest/Western Canada area, is wilt disease. This is also caused by a fungus in the soil.

Unfortunately, there probably isn’t too much that you can do to save them at this point. If you would like to know what is causing the problem, you can pull up one or two plants and check the roots carefully. If they are mushy and sick-looking then you know it was root rot. They will be easier to pull out than plants that are healthy or that have wilt disease. Plants with wilt disease will still have healthier-looking roots.

The only way to control either of these disease is to plant your peas on a 5-year rotation. This means that you should not plant peas in any area of the garden where peas have grown before for 5 years. On year six, you can start the rotation over again. The fungus that is in the soil should be gone by then. Also make sure that your soil is well drained and that you plant your seeds early in the spring. It would be helpful to know which disease killed the plants as you may be able to find seeds that are more resistant to that particular disease.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

I received this comment from Joe recently and because my answer was so long, I thought I would blog about it.

Hello,
I have a quick question you might be able to answer for me. I have slugs eating my ripe berries (strawberries), what can I do about them ??? Thanks in advance…

The following was my answer to Joe:

Hi Joe,

Slugs and tomato hornworms are two of the most annoying pests in the garden. Many nights, I have been out after dark with a flashlight looking for the little suckers. Growing up in Vancouver, our favorite pastime was to grab the salt shaker and go slug hunting . . . . but I digress.

There is a number of things you can do to control the slugs that are getting at your strawberries. Because I like to stay as organic as possible, I will give you the organic options first.

ORGANIC:

Slugs need moisture. They sleep during the day in a moist, dark area and come out at night to munch. If you have mulch in your garden, that can be one of the many places they are hiding out during the day. Also check around the area for any wood, rocks, pots, anywhere moist that they might hide and remove these. If you do not want to or cannot remove them, make sure to check under them every morning for any slugs that are hiding there or any eggs and get rid of them.

Speaking of eggs, you definitely want to go on the hunt and destroy any eggs you may find. They are little egg clusters that look kind of like tapioca.

You can also place a wooden board near your strawberries and check there every morning as well. Kind of like baiting them with a nice place to keep cool during the day!

You can do as I have done and head out after dark with a flashlight and salt shaker in hand

I have tried the beer method with quite a bit of success. Place a shallow container of beer where they can find it. They love it and will crawl in and drown.

The idea is to get rid of as many slugs as possible along with their moist hiding places which will hopefully deter them.

NON-ORGANIC:

If you are still having a problem a slug bait might be the way to go. Something like Sluggo or any commercial slug bait you can find at your local garden center or Home Depot.

Make sure you follow the instructions keeping in mind any pets or small children that may be around.

I found the site below that gives some more great tips on slug control. My favorite is the last one where you put a bounty on their head and let the kids go at it It also has some tips on creating homemade slug traps to keep the bait contained.

The Garden Helper

Note: Please come back and let me know what you decided to do and how successful it was for you. Enjoy your strawberries!

Postcript: I did some research and stand corrected. Sluggo is sold as an organic slug bait. I found the following online store where you can buy it (if you live in one of the states that they ship it to). Although it is quite expensive, I have seen lots of good feedback on the product. It would depend on how widespread your slug problem is whether the cost would be worth it or not. This company also sells a slug trap with organic bait in it. I have no idea how well it works but might be a cheaper alternative if the beer method doesn’t work for you.

Sluggo

Slug Trap

Another Organic Tip For Controlling Slugs:
There has been research done on using coffee grounds to control slugs.  Apparently, the caffeine will kill the slugs.  They walk through it, absorbing the caffeine and it kills them.  Put a thick layer of used coffee grounds around the base of the plants that are being affected.  Coffee grounds are quite high in nitrogen as well, so this will give your plants an extra boost of nitrogen which the plants will love!

Does anybody else have any tips to help Joe control his slug problem?

Strawberries Growing in a Strawberry Pot

Have you ever wanted to know how to grow strawberries in strawberry pots? It is actually very easy and a lot of fun not only for the average gardener but kids also love to grow strawberries in strawberry pots. There are many reasons why you may want to plant a strawberry pot. One of the obvious reasons is if you live in a condo or an apartment and you have no garden. You can place these beautiful pots right on your deck and enjoy the freshly picked strawberries as they become ripe. That being said, even people who have gardens quite often choose to grow strawberries in strawberry pots. Maintaining a strawberry bed does require some maintenance when it comes to controlling the runners and some people find it easier to grow strawberries in strawberry pots than in the home garden.

GETTING STARTED

First you need to make a trip to your local local nursery or gardening center. You should be able to find all you need to get started there. If you are having a hard time finding a strawberry pot you can buy my favorite strawberry pot online.

My Favorite Strawberry Pot

Your local nursery will carry more than a few varieties of strawberries that grow well in your area or for convenience you can order them online at Gurney’s (see our resource page). You will have a choice between June bearing, everbearing or day neutral. An everbearing variety will produce strawberries throughout the summer, usually two or three crops. Day neutral varieties also produce strawberries throughout the growing season. June bearing varieties produce one large crop in late spring/early summer depending on where you live and then they will be done producing until the next year. June bearing plants are known to produce larger berries.

MATERIALS

Strawberry pot
Potting soil
Strawberry plants
PVC Pipe with holes drilled into it OR the cardboard tube left over from your gift wrapping paper
Small gravel

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place potting soil into the pot up to the lowest holes on the sides of the pot.
2. Remove a strawberry plant from its plastic container.
3. Break up the soil around the roots of the plant and fan them out a little. Place the plant into the pocket, add some more potting soil and pack it firmly around the roots. Plant the strawberry plant so that the crown is just barely above the soil surface. Plant strawberry plants in all of the lower pockets.
4. Dig a small hole in the center of the dirt. Place PVC pipe or cardboard tube so that it is standing straight up the middle of the pot. Pack some dirt around it but you will probably have to hold it with one hand or have someone hold it for you until you get enough dirt around it for it to stand up by itself. Fill the pipe or tube with gravel.
5. Add more potting soil up to the next pockets and plant strawberries in the same way as above. Keep repeating until you have filled the pot up with soil.
6. Plant three or four strawberry plants in the top of the pot.
7. If you used a cardboard tube, gently remove the tube leaving the gravel in place. If you used PVC pipe, just leave it in there.
8. After planting, gently water the top of the pot and each opening. For the rest of the season you should be able to water just from the top as the gravel will help to spread the water throughout the dirt and take it down deep enough to the bottom plants. Keep an eye out though. If it looks like the plants in the holes are not getting enough water then you will have to gently water them through each opening. Placing some sphagnum moss around each plant will help to hold the dirt in if it is being watered out.

Place the strawberry pot in a sunny location (at least six hours of sun a day) and rotate it every few days so that each plant gets enough sunlight. Continue to water the plants every day. Containers tend to dry out much faster than a garden bed. If you planted everbearing or day neutral it is a good idea for the first few weeks to pinch off the blossoms when they flower. This gives the plant a chance to put its energy into establishing the roots and the plant itself before having to produce fruit.

For More Information:

Growing Strawberry Plants

Planting Strawberry Plants:  Starting a Strawberry Bed

Coming Soon:

Grow Strawberries in a Container
How to Grow Strawberries in a Hanging Pot
Growing Tips For Strawberry Plants
How To Build a Strawberry Planter
H ow To Make Strawberry Cobbler
Strawberry Dessert Recipes
Plant Herbs in a Strawberry Pot
Plant Tomatoes in a Strawberry Pot

. . . . .and much more!

Strawberries Planted in Double Row Hill System

Planting strawberry plants is best done in early spring.  If you live in a warmer climate you can also plant strawberry plants in the fall if you want.  When gardening, you should always wait until the ground is workable and not overly wet.  Before you start gardening, you may want to read Growing Strawberry Plants.  It will give you information on varieties of strawberry plants,  soil conditions, fertilization, sunlight and watering needs of your strawberry plants.

HOW TO BUILD A STRAWBERRY BED

When planting strawberry plants in the home garden, the strawberry beds are usually planted in one of two systems:

• MATTED ROW SYSTEM: In the matted row system, all runners are allowed to grow which will produce larger yields the first bearing season.  The plants should be spaced 12 inches apart and rows should be spaced 3 feet apart.

• DOUBLE ROW HILL SYSTEM: In the double row hill system, plants are spaced 12 inches apart in the row and rows are 12 inches apart.  All runners are picked off.  Each double row is raised and separated by a 24-inch trough or gutter that makes it easy for you to walk among the plants to pick berries or keep them weeded.  Varieties such as everbearing and day neutral strawberries are more often grown in this system as they do not send out many runners.  The above image is of an established strawberry bed grown in a double row hill system.  Click on the image to see a larger picture.

STEPS FOR PLANTING:

1. Before you plant your strawberry plants make sure to take off any older leaves from the plant as well as pinch off all flowers and runners.
2. Trim the roots so that they are approximately 4 to 5 inches long and remove any damaged areas.
3. Next, the plant should be placed in the soil so the crown of the plant is just a little above the soil’s surface or at in the very least even with it and the roots fan out.
4. Water well so that the water gets right down to the roots.

CARE AFTER PLANTING:

If you have planted everbearing or day neutral plants, pinch off all blossoms for the first six weeks after planting. This gives the plants time to establish before putting their energy towards fruit production.  If you have planted June bearing plants, you want to leave the blossoms on because of the shorter growing season.

For More Information:

Growing Strawberry Plants

Grow Strawberries in Strawberry Pots

Coming Soon:

Planting a strawberry pot
Strawberry hanging pots
Planting Strawberries in Containers
Strawberry Care Tips
All You Need to Know About Soil
Types of Mulch

Ripe Strawberries

Growing strawberry plants is very easy.  You can grow strawberries plants in a variety of ways.   They are ideal for growing in pots, hanging planters, special strawberry pots or in a garden strawberry bed.

If you live in a colder climate then you should plant your strawberries in the spring when it is still cool.  For those who live in warmer temperature zones, you can plant either in early spring or in the fall.

Before you start growing strawberry plants the first thing you want to think about is whether you would like one large crop in early summer or if you would prefer strawberries to ripen throughout the growing season.  Were you thinking of growing strawberry plants to make jam or to freeze or did you just want ripe strawberries for eating?

There are three types of strawberries:

• June Bearing plants produce one large crop of strawberries in late spring/early summer.  You get the most berries out of the season with these types of plants although they will all ripen within just a few weeks.  These plants produce quite a few runners that will make for a larger strawberry bed the year after unless you keep them trimmed.  If you are growing strawberry plants to make jam or freeze the strawberries then these would be the plants to grow.
• Everbearing strawberry plants produce usually two or three crops per season in late spring, summer and again in the fall.  The berries are usually smaller but some prefer strawberries throughout the summer rather than one large crop.  These plants do not send out many runners as a rule.
• Day Neutral plants are a little harder to find and are most like ever bearing.  They will produce fruit throughout the growing season but they are usually a smaller berry.  These plants also send out just a few runners.

Once you know which kind of strawberry plant you want, you can purchase them at your local nursery or garden center.  Tip: If you prefer, you can also order them online.  We recommend Gurney’s They have a superb reputation, will deliver your plants at the right time for planting in your area and they offer some great deals including saving $20 for every $40 worth of plants that you order!

SOIL: For a healthy garden, you want to make sure you start out with good soil.  Strawberries prefer soil that drains well.  To give your strawberries a really good start, you also may want to add a controlled-release fertilizer to the area before you plant.  Strawberries are pretty easy keepers and are not too picky about the pH of your soil although they will do their absolute best with the pH of the soil between 5.3 and 6.5.  You can purchase a test kit at most garden supply stores.

SUNLIGHT: Although strawberries can produce with as little as six hours of direct sunlight per day, they will give you the best crop with a full day of sun.

WATER: Strawberries will not tolerate standing in water or being left dry for too long.  The roots need a steady supply of water.  One good soak a week works well and watering in the morning will give the leaves a chance to dry out before night which helps prevent diseases.

MULCH: Mulching your strawberries is a good idea.  It will keep the soil from drying out too quickly between watering as well as keep it cool for the best development of not only the fruit but also the roots and plant itself.  It will also keep the fruit off the ground resulting in a cleaner berry.

FERTILIZING: If you applied a fertilizer to the soil before planting then you are good to go this spring.  For June bearing plants, feed again shortly after harvesting the berries.  For ever bearing and day neutral, you can feed after the second harvest but not too late in the season.

Growing strawberry plants is a fun, easy plant to grow for beginners and even for kids.  If your kids are anything like mine, you may not even get to have one.  My daughter would go out to play in the yard and the first place she always went was the strawberry patch.  I think it was three years before I was able to taste one of the ripe strawberries, but that was okay because it was one of the main reasons I wanted to raise her on an acreage.  I loved watching her park her little behind in the garden and eat all, and I do mean ALL, the fresh fruit and veggies right out of the garden.  My gardens were all organic in case you were wondering.

Have any thoughts, strawberry tips or funny stories you would like to share?  Please leave a comment.

For More Information:

Planting Strawberry Plants: Starting a Strawberry Bed

Grow Strawberries in Strawberry Pots

Coming Up:

Hanging Strawberry Baskets
Grow Strawberries in a Container
Growing Tips for Strawberry Plants
Strawberry Dessert Recipes

. . . . and much more!