Hi everyone, You have always came through for me, I would love to grow strawberries, but they succumb to the heat here, I put mulch on them, and water well, I quess the problem is the variety, So all you people who grow strawberries way down south , what variety do you plant, and where do you get them? Love Irene

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), August 09, 2001

Answers

hi Irene, I know Guerneys advertised some that would withstand the summer, but we tried them and they died. What you need to do is plant whatever type you get in the fall. They should withstand the Texas winter(the ones we fall planted did), produce in the spring. I just don't know about keeping them through the summer, though. Have you considered container planting?

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), August 09, 2001.

Go to the Poteet Strawberry Festival and ask them what varieties they plant.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), August 09, 2001.

We can grow really pretty strawberry plants, but once summer hits we loose leaves, and the fire ants eat the berries. Even with raised beds and poison around the beds, you can't keep them out. And you can't use anything on the berries! We buy ours in the grocery store! High priced tasteless things! We do grow lovely black berries! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 09, 2001.

Her in calif in the hot bay area I plant my strawberrys so they get afternoon shade which seems to work here.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 09, 2001.

I grew, of all things, Quinalt, Sequoia, and Surecrop, which were the ones they had at Wallyworld. I planted them in sandy loam under my peach trees very early in the spring, they fruited very nicely, and as of right now, they still have their leaves and are very healthy looking. The made a second crop of much smaller fruit about a month ago.

I have tried several of the berries suggested for the deep south, being the Florida series, Tangi, Stella, etc., but for some reason these plain old varieties really did well this year. I can't account for it other than maybe being under the peach trees have done something for them?

Also, I tilled in a product called ClandoSan last February, which is a product made of clam and shrimp shells and is designed to increase the amount of beneficial fungus in the soil, and this funugs will actually eat and kill soil nematodes. I had a lot of root knot nematode problems and found the ClandoSan, which has worked well. Perhaps it had some effect on my strawberries this year.

-- HannahMariaHolly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), August 09, 2001.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I live in southeast TX.

-- HannahMariaHolly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), August 09, 2001.

My condolences.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), August 10, 2001.

Hannah, mine are planted under my peach tree to, maybe its a garden companion thing ,strawberrys love peaches?

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 11, 2001.

Hi Kathy. That occurred to me, too. I only planted mine there because the rest of the garden was otherwise occupied by various plants when I bought all the berry plants, and the area under the peach was about the right size. I'd love to have hundreds of strawberry plants, but as they have previously never done very well, I have never expanded my plantings.

I have been wondering, since I posted my reply, if the ClandoSan did have some beneficial effect on them. Or a combination of the ClandoSan and being under the peach tree? I planted an apricot that has grown at an insane rate, and I may plant strawberries under that next spring, after I dig out all the pomagranate cuttings I rooted under it last winter.

I need another acre or two.

-- HannahMariaHolly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), August 11, 2001.

Forgot again--strawberries DO love peaches--they're delicious together! Especially right out there in the garden patch.

-- HannahMariaHolly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), August 11, 2001.

Hannah, I would settle for 1 acre, I only have 400 square feet.Keep trying to figure out were I could fit in a plume. Have 2 apples, 2 peach trees 1 apricote and 2 necterines. Also in same area have 5 raised beds and in grass 1 large orange tree.My son sage[6] loves to pick strawberrys and work his way up to the peachs.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 12, 2001.

kathy h, could you sneak plums into a front yard? Some are designated as ornamentals, with that deep burgundy coloured foliage, but it doesn't stop them bearing heavily, and the fruit are quite edible. Also, have you considered espaliering trees (maybe dwarf varieties) along the fence?

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), August 14, 2001.

Don, thanks for the suggestions, front yard is a rose garden and small lawn which grows under shade of a large mullberry tree.I might grow one in a container it could keep the blueberry in a container, and tea camiliain a container, and my bay laurle also in a container company [ compulsive plant addict]. just plain have run out of room.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 14, 2001.