xt7stq5r9h6j https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7stq5r9h6j/data/mets.xml   Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station. 1946 journals kaes_circulars_004_430 English Lexington : The Service, 1913-1958. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 430 text Circular (Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station) n. 430 1946 2014 true xt7stq5r9h6j section xt7stq5r9h6j ercial S rawbcrr Pr0'ect   `  
A   Comm t y j i
nt) By W. W. MAc11.1. · Ijhj  
— Tl·lE OBJ ECT of this project is to produce strowberries for I,  
- sole, from o pcitch D2; to V2 ocre in size. Strowberries j_
grown in Kentucky hove o reody morket, ond usuolly I _A I
T bring 8 to TO times os much income per ocre os corn. The l`
·~ strowberry project is not only profitcible, but it is one I _
__ in which o club member con do procticolly oll the Iobor it ·
required on the project except usuolly some help in pick-
l0' ing the berries. II
-- This leciflet ottempts to onswer the questions which _ I
rd will orise in connection with this project. The club mem- _
ber ond locol Ieoder should recid ond discuss the ques- I  
» tions ond onswers in the leoflet. A sheet for keeping W .
M_ records on the project will be supplied by the county . _
ogent.
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Circular 430 I   I i
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UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY I 
I _ College of Agriculture and Home Economics .  
, 194'T j
ijréirzj Agricultural Extension Division l
{32 Thomos P. Cooper, Deon ond Director  
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A Why plant strawberries? They are generally liked; are easy and
inexpensive to grow; will yield well on any type of good crop—
~ land; are the earliest fruit to ripen; seldom fail to bear, and
any surplus above family needs can be sold readily at good
prices.
What is the best variety for Kentucky? Blakemore. Vl
Is the Blakemore a good berry for eating fresh, preserving, jam,
ice cream, and freezing? Yes, it is a good all-round berry
’ and yields well. V
Are everbearing varieties successful in Kentucky? No.
Where should I get the plants? From a neighbor's berry patch or
from a plant nursery.
What should I do if the plants arrive during a wet season? Keep V
the plants in a cool place until ready to set, but do not water.
Better still, unpack the plants, cut the strings around the
bunches of plants, and trench the plants out in open ground.
When should I set out the plants? Late March or early April, or
the same time you plant early potatoes, onions, or lettuce.
Where should strawberries be planted? In the garden, on new
ground, or on any fertile land used last year to produce a cul-
tivated crop. · I'
How should I prepare the land for strawberries? The same as for ll
a garden.
What is the best planting distance? Rows 4 feet apart, with plants I'
3 feet apart in the row. This will require about 5OO plants for V8 I
' acre, or 2,000 plants for V2 acre.
How deep should strawberry plants be set? About the same depth l
as when they are growing in the matted row. Take care not t0
get the bud below ground level.
Where do strawberries fit best in a Kentucky crop rotation? Fol-
lowing tobacco.
How about turning a sod field for strawberries? lnjury by cut- l
worms and grubs is likely to follow.
Do ants injure strawberries? No, but the aph,is or plant lice they I
carry to the roots of the berry plants injure the plants. Ants are
often found around berry plants, especially where berries follow I
corn. Where ants are present you will find aphis (plant lice) on
the berry roots.
Does it pay to fertilize strawberries? Yes. lt usually pays as well I
or better than with any other crop raised in Kentucky. `
What kind of fertilizer and how much per acre? The general fer-
tility of your land determines how much fertilizer is needed for `
a good crop of strawberries. Land that will grow a ton of tobacco
per acre will likely grow a good crop of strawberries, withoul
fertilizer. On average land, strawberries especially need ph0S·
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x and phate. A complete fertilizer (4—l2-6, for example) broadcast L.  
crop— or drilled at the rate of l,OOO pounds per acre in the first grow-  
, and ing year, and l,OOO pounds per acre applied in the following  
good January or February, broadcast on top of the mulch, should ',-i.,
give a good yield. ._l  
What method is best for applying fertilizer on strawberries? Just ‘ J   i·
jam, like successful farmers in your neighborhood use in applying _A  
berry fertilizer to tobacco or truck crops. .  
Will the plants bear fruit the same spring they are set out? lt is .   gi
best not to let them .bear during the spring you set the patch.    
ch or Keep the blossoms pinched off. This will cause the plants to _ ,,  
develop earlier runners.   lll
Keep When and how should I cultivate strawberries? Use shallow cul- V. °..
vqrgr tivation at week or ten day intervals, starting in late April and i  
j the continuing until September. For cultivating between the rows y ih
gl use a tobacco cultivator (double—shovel, rastus) or a l-horse l· A
I-il, Or spike tooth harrow. A hoe must be used for keeping weeds,  
_ especially crabgrass, out of the berry row. Covering the tips ' ,
I new ofthe new runners with the cultivator or with the hoe also helps .` _
J CUI. in developing a matted row during June, July, and August. ll I `
· How wide should the matted row be? From l4 inches to 2 feet.  
gs {Oy When do Blakemore strawberries get ripe in Kentucky? Late April _
and May. I _A
)|Gm$ How long does harvest last? Usually lO to 25 days. ' if
fOr yg How often should the berries be picked? lt depends on the weather , · .-
—if cool, every other day, if hot, every day.  
depth What kind of package is used for marketing strawberries? The Il ll
my TO berries are picked directly into quart-size wood—veneer baskets,
or cups, and 24 of the quart cups are packed into standard , *
> FO|. ventilated crates. Where the berries are sold locally, the grower fi
usually gets the empty crates back so they can be used again. VI
v, Cut. Where can I buy the crates and cups? Through your marketing ,
association. ‘ -
2 they How full should the berry cups be filled? Mound up the cups from
ts are V2 to 3Ai inches so the cup will be full after it sets over night. l
follow How will the annual strawberry crop be sold? Through cooperative
ze) On Strawberry marketing associations already in operation and  
through local sales. l,
s well Should strawberries be graded before being sold? Yes. Grade them
either while picking them or immediately afterwards. l
:il fer- What causes catface or dwarf tips on the berries? The chief causes I l
gd for are light frosts during bloom and lack of phosphate fertilizer.  
bccgg WIT¤l is G U. S. No, `I strawberry? A berry that is reCl, lr1ClUClll’1g l l
gt|·]OUt ll'l€ tip; clean, but not soft, moldy, or overrlpe, Over % ll'1Cl’i (the  
phos- Size of a one-cent coin); not blemished; calyx attached.  
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J I Suppose I don't grade the berries? Just like ungraded tobacco, the l-?
lot will sell at the price of the lowest grade in the basket.   ·`l
I What is a fair selling price for strawberries? During the past 25 Mi
years the price has varied from $l.25 to $l5.00 per 24—quart   `
crate. One of the cooperative berry associations in Kentucky  
during the 20—year period from l922 to l942 averaged $3.25  
per 24-quart crate. I J
_ What is considered a good yield per acre? Fifty crates is a poor  
yield; l00 crates is a good yield. Yields of 200 crates per acre  
are not uncommon.
ls a mulch advisable, and when should it be applied? Yes; it V
should be applied in early December.
‘ What material can be used for a mulch? Straw (wheat, oats or rye) —
that is free of cheat and small grain. Broom sedge cut in July i ·
and kept in shocks makes an excellent mulch. p .
J Should leaves of trees be used for mulch? No, because they tend to 3
pack tight and smother the plants. I
How much mulch per acre? One ton per acre (2 inches thick) scat- J
tered over the whole area. `
Suppose I don't mulch? Should the temperature reach zero, with no I
snow on the ground and no mulch applied, your yield will likely
be cut 40 crates per acre, and if the temperature should go to l0
below zero the yield would probably be cut 90 crates per acre.
Such temperatures in December; January, or February kill the y
. embryonic flower clusters in the crown of the plant unless the _
plant is protected by mulch or snow. A berry plant with the blos-
som bud killed is likely to develop many young runners by har-
vest time.
Can the plants be protected if late frosts threaten? Yes, by raking _
the mulch from the middles back over the rows when the plants
are in bloom and frost seems likely. »
What other advantages do we get from mulch? lt keeps the berries
clean, helps keep down weed growth, and holds moisture for the
harvest season.
What should I do with the patch after picking? Immediately mow “
the patch. Rake the tops and mulch, and pile in shocks at the
edge of the patch. Plow the original row to about l2 to l4 inches.
Then thoroughly cultivate the middles through June and July.
The patch should be profitable through second and third picking
season.
gexington, Isentucfky 7 I I T T _ FTTTTTV FTW M8;fCll, 1947
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics: College of Agriculture and
Home Economics, University of Kentucky, and the United States Department of Agriculture
' cooperating. Thomas P. Cooper, Director. Issued in furtherance of thc Acts of May 8 and _
June 30, 1914. 10M·3-47
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