It’s difficult to imagine a summer garden without plump, sweet strawberries dangling from your garden beds. Once you taste the rich fragrant flavors of homegrown strawberries, you’ll never want to go back to their grocery store counterparts.
Thanks to their fast-growing vigor and adaptability to different climates, strawberries are among the easiest fruits to grow. However, these compact bushes really thrive when they have excellent drainage, low weed competition, and an area where they won’t overgrow neighboring plants. Raised beds check all the boxes!
Though they can flourish in the ground or in containers, these vibrant small fruits are especially eager to proliferate in raised beds of many types. Whether you already have a raised bed garden or you want to establish a new strawberry patch, here’s our top 11 tips for growing an abundance of strawberries in raised garden beds.
Strawberries are one of the most rewarding fruits to grow in a home garden. Their sweet, juicy flavor can’t be beat when picked fresh and ripe from your own backyard. While strawberries will grow when planted directly in the ground, using raised garden beds offers many advantages for getting the highest yields of top-quality berries.
In this complete guide we will cover everything you need to know about using raised beds for growing strawberries. Whether you’re new to raised bed gardening or looking to improve your existing strawberry patch you’ll find useful tips here for getting your plants off to the best start.
Why Use Raised Beds for Strawberries?
There are several key reasons why raised beds make an ideal growing environment for strawberry plants:
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Improved drainage. Strawberries demand excellent drainage and air circulation to thrive. Raised beds allow you to provide loose, sandy soil that drains well. Growing in-ground often leads to problems with excess moisture.
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Weed control. Raised beds keep the plants up and away from encroaching weeds and grass. This reduces competition so your strawberries get all the nutrients and water.
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Convenience. Raised beds raise the plants to a comfortable level so you don’t have to bend down to tend harvest and clean the berries.
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Better yields. The improved growing conditions lead to healthier plants that produce higher yields each season.
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Space efficiency. Raised beds allow you to intensively plant more strawberries in less space compared to traditional rows.
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Extend the season. The loose soil, drainage, and raised profile all help raised beds warm up quicker in spring for an earlier start to your harvest.
Choosing a Raised Bed for Strawberries
You can purchase raised garden beds or build your own to customize the size and height. Typical raised bed dimensions are 3-4 feet wide and 8-12 feet long. But even a small 2×4 foot bed will work. Beds for strawberries should be at least 8 inches high and ideally 12-18 inches tall.
Whichever style you choose, be sure to use rot-resistant, non-toxic materials. Great options include:
- Cedar
- Redwood
- Composite lumber
- Recycled plastic lumber
- Galvanized steel
- Stone or brick
Or choose a manufactured raised bed kit made from cedar, plastic, or steel. Just be sure to situate your new raised bed in a sunny spot before filling and planting.
The Best Soil Mix for Strawberry Raised Beds
To get your plants off to the best start, raised beds for strawberries need a lightweight soil mix that drains well. The ideal pH for strawberries is between 5.5 to 6.5.
A good basic mix contains:
- 1/3 compost – provides nutrients and organic matter
- 1/3 peat moss – improves drainage
- 1/3 vermiculite or perlite – aerates the soil
You can also use bagged topsoil, coconut coir, clean sand, shredded leaves, or bark fines to improve the texture. Always avoid clay-heavy soil that compacts and retains too much moisture. Test the pH yearly and amend if needed.
Planting Strawberries in a Raised Bed
Once your bed is constructed and filled with enriched soil, it’s time for planting. Follow these steps for success:
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Remove pots/packaging: Carefully remove the strawberry crowns from their pots or packaging. Gently loosen any circled roots before planting.
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Space plants: Allow 12-15 inches between plants in all directions. Offset each row for efficient use of space.
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Dig holes: Use a trowel to dig a hole slightly larger than each crown. Avoid planting too deep.
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Plant crowns: Place the crown in the hole with roots just below the surface and the leaves above ground. Spread roots out evenly.
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Backfill soil: Refill the holes, firming the soil around each plant. Leave a slight depression to hold water.
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Water well: Water thoroughly after planting and whenever the top few inches of soil become dry. Avoid letting plants wilt.
Caring for Strawberries in Raised Beds
Raised beds provide ideal growing conditions, but your plants will still need proper care and feeding:
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Water 1-2 inches per week. Avoid overhead watering that can encourage leaf diseases. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses.
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Fertilize monthly with a balanced organic fertilizer. Follow label rates.
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Renew mulch before summer heat. Straw or pine needles are ideal options.
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Remove weeds. Pull by hand or cultivate shallowly to avoid damaging roots.
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Prune off runners to focus energy on fruit production.
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Protect from birds with netting as berries start to ripen.
Maximizing Strawberry Harvests from Raised Beds
Follow these tips to enjoy bumper crops of sweet, juicy homegrown strawberries:
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Choose everbearing or day-neutral varieties for extended harvests from June-September rather than a single flush of June berries.
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Start harvesting berries as soon as they reach full red color. Pick every 2-3 days during peak season.
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Gently twist berries off the stems instead of pulling to avoid damaging plants.
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Keep beds picked clean to encourage more flower and fruit production.
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Avoid overcrowding, which reduces yields. Thin plants as needed to keep proper spacing.
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Remove older plants after 2-3 years of harvests. They produce fewer berries as they age.
Make the Most of Your Strawberry Raised Beds
As you can see, raised garden beds are a great investment for growing bountiful harvests of homegrown strawberries. With a proper planting mix, smart planting techniques, attentive care, and the right varieties, you’ll be rewarded with more plentiful and sweeter berries that burst with flavor. The small up-front effort pays off all season long with garden-fresh eating and delicious berries for jams, desserts, and more. Get your new raised bed planned and planted this spring so you can start picking your own juicy strawberries this summer!
Fill With Loamy, Well Drained Soil
When growing strawberries, the soil is also of great importance, it should be neutral or slightly acidic.
One of the best things about raised garden beds is that you have complete control over what type of soil goes into it. If you are starting with a heavy clay soil or compacted yard, raised garden beds allow you to give your plants the best possible growing medium without having to worry about the native soil. Over time, microbes and earthworms may just dig down and fix it for you!
To decide what soil is best for your beds, keep in mind what soil attributes that strawberries like the most:
- Superb drainage
- Loamy, fluffy texture
- High organic matter (lots of compost, rotted manure, or decomposed plant matter)
- Mild acidity (pH between 5.5 and 6.8)
- Rich in microorganisms and nutrients
To give your strawberries the best soil possible, purchase potting mix or garden soil that includes 2 or more of these main ingredients:
- Sandy loam potting mix
- Quality compost
- Peat moss
- Earthworm castings
- Decomposed manure
- Forest humus
- Chipped dry leaves
- Coco coir
- Chipped bark
- Perlite
- Bat guano
Whether you choose to buy bags of organic potting soil or amend your existing garden soil, remember that strawberries love good drainage and lots of organic matter.
Pinch The First Flowers in Spring
Experienced gardeners advise pinching off early strawberry flowers to stimulate the plant’s energy to root.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice instant gratification for the sake of bigger harvests down the line. When you’re growing strawberries in a raised bed, they are often eager to take off flowering almost right after you plant them.
Though you want super early berries, it’s best to pinch off the early flowers to encourage the plant to channel its energy into establishing its roots. After about 2-3 weeks of vigorous plant growth and flower pinching (typically in early May), it’s finally time to let those strawberries flourish and begin fruiting.
How to Grow Perfect Strawberries in Raised Beds: Sugar-Free Jam Recipe
FAQ
How deep should a raised bed be for strawberries?
- Root depth: Strawberry roots don’t go very deep, so a shallow bed is sufficient.
- Planting depth: Ensure the crown of the strawberry plant is not buried too deep when planting.
- Drainage: Raised beds with good drainage are important to prevent waterlogging.
- Spacing: Allow around 1 square foot of space per strawberry plant.
How many strawberries can I grow in a 4×8 raised bed?
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SpacingStrawberry plants should be spaced so they have room to spread out and produce a good harvest.
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VarietyDifferent varieties of strawberries may have different spacing recommendations.
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Row spacingA common method is to space plants 18 to 24 inches apart and rows 3 to 4 feet apart.
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SoilStrawberries prefer well-draining, slightly acidic soil. You can add compost to improve the soil’s nutrients.
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ContainersStrawberries can also be grown in containers, such as flowerpots, as long as they have adequate drainage holes.
How do you prepare a garden bed for strawberries?
- Choose a location with good soil drainage or make a raised bed to create good drainage.
- Remove ALL weeds and roots
- Add organic matter to the soil
- Take a soil test.
- If growing in containers, formulate a good soil mix
- Set up irrigation prior to planting
How deep does soil need to be for strawberries?
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In the groundStrawberry plants can grow in soil that is 12 inches deep, but most of their roots are in the top 6 inches.
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In containersStrawberries can grow in pots that are 4–6 inches deep, but wider pots can allow them to spread out.
How many strawberries can you grow in a raised bed?
If you are growing a strawberry variety that produces a lot of runners, plant one strawberry per square foot in your raised bed and allow the runners to take root as they are formed. This will ensure that you will have productive strawberry plants year after year. Ex. You can plant 16 strawberry plants that produce runners in a 4×4 raised bed.
Are raised garden beds good for strawberry plants?
Weed Control: Raised garden beds can help minimize weed growth, which is important for strawberry plants since they can be sensitive to competition from weeds. By elevating the growing area, raised beds make it easier to spot and remove weeds, reducing competition for nutrients and sunlight and allowing the strawberry plants to thrive.
How to make a raised strawberry bed?
You can build your raised strawberry bed from wood or buy a unit or a kit. You may choose to use other common items as a raised bed or as materials to make one instead. Try using concrete blocks to make a raised bed for strawberries. Be careful not to use cinderblocks which are made with lime and can harm your gardening soil.
How do you grow strawberries in raised beds?
Here’s what you’re looking for in a growing location for your strawberries in raised beds: Choose a spot that receives plenty of sunlight, as strawberries thrive in full sun. Look for a location that gets at least 6-8 hours of sunlight per day to help your strawberry plants produce the sweetest and juiciest berries.
Where to put a raised strawberry bed?
When deciding where to put your raised bed, keep in mind that strawberry plants love sunshine. Cedar or pressure-treated wood is best but you can use any sturdy boards. Use a table saw or circular saw to cut the length of your boards to the desired dimensions of your raised strawberry bed.
How do you care for strawberry plants in a raised bed?
Add a mulch of straw or pine needles when you have finished planting your strawberry plants. A light mulch will suppress weeds, regulate the soil temperature, retain moisture, keep your berries clean and away from soil-dwelling pests, and add necessary organic matter over time. When should I fertilize strawberry plants in a raised bed?