STRAWBERRY WILD STRAWBERRY (Queen of the Valleys) AB - PLANT
Fragaria vesca alpina
The Reine des Vallées strawberry plant is a variety of the wild strawberry type that is everbearing and hardly runners, propagated by seed, producing small, elongated, extremely fragrant red fruits.
Strawberry planting period
Strawberry plants can be planted year-round, although the best planting time is in the fall (mid-August to October) or spring. Strawberry plants are not sensitive to frost, so you can safely plant them in the fall; they will have time to develop their root system before winter. Just beware of late frosts in April and May, which could damage the blooms.
Strawberry growing
If your soil is very chalky or very wet, prefer growing in pots or containers because the strawberry plant will have a lot of trouble growing there. Strawberries like rich soil, prepare your soil by adding manure or compost to your soil a month beforehand, as well as an organic fertilizer. Plant your strawberry plants in a sunny location in rows, on 80 cm wide and 20 cm high mounds. You can plant two rows of strawberry plants 40 cm apart and 30 cm apart in the row. Plan 70 cm wide rows between the mounds. Do not plant too densely to avoid attacks of gray mold on the fruit (Botrytis cinerea).
Mulch your strawberry plants to prevent weed growth, maintain soil moisture, and insulate the fruit from the ground. Water regularly during hot weather. To encourage rooting and growth, it is essential to cut the flower stalks within a month of planting. Later, during the growing season, the runners (or nets) should be cut.
In the fall, clean the plants (remove dry leaves and suckers) and apply a copper-based product if the leaves have many purple spots. Strawberry Harvest Tip: Pick strawberries in the morning; they will be more fragrant.
