One of the best ways to introduce kids to gardening is to grow strawberries. Strawberries are the perfect fruit for the home garden because they are easy to grow, come in unique local varieties suited to various locations in North America, and mostly, children love to eat them!
Planting Strawberry Plants With Kids
Local nurseries and plant shops will have the varieties of strawberries that grow well in the area. Choose ahead of time if the strawberries will be an annual or perennial planting in the kids’ home garden. Annuals will be less likely to harbor diseases and do not need to be mulched or otherwise protected in winter. Keep in mind that strawberry plants require full sun.
Have children pick out the appropriate variety of strawberry plants that look the best. When it is time to put them in the ground, the kids can help measure and dig holes for the plants. Strawberry plants should be placed in the garden approximately 14 to 18 inches apart in rows separated by 2-3 feet. Roots at the top should be buried ¼ inch below the garden surface but the crown should remain exposed.
Helping Kids Care for Strawberry Plants
Strawberries will need to be watered daily for a total of about 1 inch of water per week. Children can use their watering cans or a hose to water their fruit gardens. Regular light feeding will also be required for all varieties of strawberries, although the ones that bear fruit early in the season will only need feeding a couple of times in the summer – once at the beginning and once when the fruit appears.
Strawberry plant runners should be pinched off if large berries are desired. Show kids how to do this and have them thin out their plants weekly to prevent diseases.
Dealing with Strawberry Loving Pests
Pests that infest strawberries are slugs and snails, mites, aphids, and weevils. Make sure that the plants chosen from the garden shop are disease and pest free and keep up with them throughout the planting season. Remove diseased or yellowed leaves, and have the kids pick strawberries before they begin to rot. For perennial strawberry gardens, plants may need to be replaced every few years.
Growing Strawberries in Containers
Specially designed strawberry pots are available at garden stores and are highly recommended if growing strawberries in containers. Choose to grow strawberries this way if there are no spots in the yard that receive full sunlight throughout the day, if plots of land have high saline content, or they have already been used for other plants susceptible to disease. Since strawberry plants are small, children can move them, insuring that they receive sunlight all day.
Strawberries are one of the easiest and best home garden fruits for kids to grow. Strawberry plants produce fruit throughout the summer and children will love to pluck them freely and eat! If the kids have yet to plant and care for a fruit or vegetable, strawberries are a perfect choice for their first gardening experience.
