Strawberry, Hecker (Everbearing)

1 strawberry crown bare root
 
Hecker is a day neutral everbearing strawberry. It will produce fruit from early summer until fall. The runners on this variety will produce berries the first year.  The berries are large and sweet and will still produce when temperatures swing, as we regularly have temp sings in our northern climate. Strawberries are heavy feeders that prefer soil ph to be around 5.5 and 6.5. Well aged manure mixed with peatmoss is a good choice of food for strawberries as the ph generally is around that 6.5 which strawberries love. Leaf mold (mulching with leaves) is also a great option to set the ph right over time. When the ph is too high, strawberries struggle to absorb nutrients. Adding worm castings at planting can help the strawberry root and the microbes help the plant absorb the right nutrients to help them take off. Worm Castings also help the soil retain moisture. Since strawberries are planted shallow, gardeners often run the risk with strawberries not getting enough hydration. 
 
Day neutral strawberries are a better choice for northern climates, as our days get long so quickly, day neutral strawberries produce more than june bearing varieties that rely on shorter days to trigger berry production.
 
 Strawberries are heavy feeders that prefer soil ph to be around 5.5 and 6.5. Well aged manure mixed with peatmoss is a good choice of food for strawberries as the ph generally is around that 6.5 which strawberries love. Leaf mold (mulching with leaves) is also a great option to set the ph right over time. When the ph is too high, strawberries struggle to absorb nutrients. Adding worm castings at planting can help the strawberry root and the microbes help the plant absorb the right nutrients to help them take off. Worm Castings also help the soil retain moisture. Since strawberries are planted shallow, gardeners often run the risk with strawberries not getting enough hydration. Northern gardeners often struggle with strawberries winterkilling due to standing water. More often than not, waterlogged soil drowns out strawberries more so than cold temperatures. Be sure to plant strawberries somewhere that will have good drainage during the spring thaw. Mulching with straw or leaves over the winter helps protect the crown from extreme winter temperatures and windchills. Be sure to uncover the mulch around the crown in the early spring to prevent crown rot.
 
Do not use wood ash in soil planted with strawberries as wood ash can raise the ph too much. 
 
Planting: Plant crown at soil level. Strawberries can be fussy on how the crowns are planted. Amend the soil with well aged compost or manure. Mix in worm castings to help rooting and hydration. Bonemeal is a good amendment to help rooting also.  The roots should be planted straight down and not bent. Make sure no soil covers the top of the crown, and the crown is exactly at soil level where new growth will come out. Water in well and mulch with straw, Aged wood chips or leaf mulch. Keep soil hydrated but not over saturated. 
 
Zone 3
Full Sun
Height 6"
Width 24"