I am interested in finding a supplier of Chandler strawberry plants. I know I saw it in one of my catalogues last year but I can't find them this year. I have been through all of my catalogues. Can someone tell me a catalogue that they have that lists this variety? I picked them last year at our u-pick farm and they were really good so I want to plant them on my homestead. They are really good for southern climates.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), March 02, 2002

Answers

Try Indiana Berry&plant co.1-800-295-2226 or www.inberry.com

-- Steve in Ohio (stevenb@ohiohills.com), March 02, 2002.

Hi Colleen, where are you located? We grow Chandlers commercially and if you'd email me I'll tell you how to get in touch with a guy in NC that we get our plants from. I'm just not sure how well they would do in a typical home garden, though. They require a lot of care and are very suseptible to a disease called anthracnose(sp?)which is why commercial growers replant every year instead of holding them over.A better berry for home gardening would probally be Sweet Charlies'. They are about the same size as Chandlers,maybe a little smaller, and actually taste better! Their shelf life is slightly shorter, but not enough to make a difference if you're not shipping them and they are more resistant to disease.Also, both of these berries do better planted in the fall for a spring crop. Ours have started blooming already! got to get that frost protection in place!

-- Judy C. (corwinsusa@netscape.net), March 02, 2002.

Wow, Judy, thanks for giving me this advice. I am from New Hampshire originally and am just learning how to garden in Virginia and I just chose Chandlers because I was trying to do what is usually recommended which is to look around you and see what does well in your area. I had no idea that they were digging up the plants and replanting them every year. I certainly don't want to do that, too much work. LOL I'll try the ones that you recommend and contact my local extension service and see what they recommend for this area in a non-commercial bed. You sure saved me from making a big mistake. Thank goodness for this forum and all of you experienced people who are willing to share your knowledge.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), March 03, 2002.