Get out in the garden and plant strawberries this weekend for slicing up all summer long.
What Strawberries Want
Choose bare-root plants with large, firm crowns and healthy, light colored roots.
A good start: early spring planting in most regions, late winter in California.
Location: full sun (eight hours-plus daily)
Soil: rich and well-drained, enriched with plenty of compost
Water: consistent but soil should never be soggy
Food: initial feeding, then side-dress day-neutral varieties midsummer for second crop
Pest Control: snails, slugs, and birds love berries, too―beat them to it with handpicking, netting, or other organic solutions
Good Health: Avoid wetting leaves or fruit when watering (can cause rot), especially from flowering through harvest. Choose disease-resistant cultivars, and avoid planting where tomatoes were previously grown.