Two varieties of strawberries are readily available to the home gardener: everbearing and Junebearing. Everbearing strawberry plants produce two crops the first year they’re planted; the first crop of each year matures in late spring and is followed by a second, smaller, crop in the fall (plus a few fruits in between). These strawberries are typically snack-sized berries, and the plants do not produce as many runners. If you’re looking for an everbearing, I recommend Ozark Beauty.

Junebearing strawberries are planted in the fall, and produce one large harvest in late spring or early summer the following year. Although they need more time to mature than everbearers, Junebearers produce larger fruit that is superior in taste and color. Jam-making gardeners love them because the plants set all their fruit at once. Note: You can plant Junebearing varieties in the spring and the plants will produce a few flowers. You should remove all flowers before they fruit, however; it is more important that Junebearers focus on growing larger as plants instead of producing fruit during the first year. If you’re interested in planting a Junebearing strawberry plant, I recommend Gurney’s Whopper Junebearing Strawberry and Jewel Junebearing Strawberry.

The compact growth of most herbs makes them ideal for containers, too. A few nursery pots, 18-24” across the top, will provide a happy home for your herbs. In a colder climate, you can bring the pots indoors to a sunny spot.

Choose as many herbs as you will actually use and have room for. Make sure you sort them into two groups, annuals and perennials. Common annuals include basil, dill and parsley. Common perennials include chives, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, sorrel and thyme. Whether you grow herbs in beds or in pots, keep your perennials separate from your annuals so they can continue to grow year after year without being disturbed.

Most herbs will grow well from seed, but transplants are just as easy to grow. With transplants, make sure the soil or growing medium you’re putting the plants into is well-watered (moist but not soggy) in advance. Drainage is important – few plants like wet feet – so augment your soil with perlite, vermiculite or compost.

If you start herbs from seed, wait until the seedlings have their first true leaves (leaves that resemble those of an adult plant), then thin them so they stand several inches apart. Do this by snipping off the unwanted plants at ground level with scissors – don’t pull them out, which can injure the roots of the surviving plants.

Roll Up Your Sleeves!

It’s finally time to start growing again, and time to wake up those sleeping garden plots. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started:

• Do a maintenance check on the compost pile. Turn it, move it, use it!
• Remove protective coverings from roses and tender shrubs.
• Prepare your perennial beds by raking and mulching.
• Rake any leaves that may have been missed once snow fell. Add to the compost pile.
• Treat your lawn mower right by greasing it up, filling the gas tank, checking the spark plugs and sharpening the blades.
• Flush out your pipe lines by running your outside faucet. Inspect your garden hose for cracks and leaks and, if necessary, replace it.
• Check your rain spouts for leaves and debris that may clog in the summer. Clean out and add to the compost pile.
• If you put your lawn ornaments away for the winter, introduce them back to your landscape.
• Give your lawn furniture a good spraying with the hose to remove dirt and dust that has built up. Set it out in the sun to dry. If possible, launder seat cushions and covers.

Get Ready, Set, Grow!

After all that cleanup, now you’ve got to put something in the soil. It’s a great time to get started on your vegetable garden. Start some early crops, like lettuce and spinach, in a cold frame. Plants that take a long time to get to maturity, like mammoth pumpkins, should be started in peat pots. Prepare to plant other crops as the ground begins to warm and the danger of frost has passed.

How to Plant Strawberries:

Strawberries prosper when planted in properly prepared beds or rows alongside of the house; planting them to work as an edge to a walk or driveway or encouraging them to sprawl over the top of the wall. Strawberries are even happy to grow in strawberry jars and hanging baskets.

The best way to grow strawberries is with slightly acidic potting soil that has a pH between 5.5 and 6.8. You can mix 4 inches or more of compost in a clay type soil to create raised mounds in order to improve drainage. In sandy type of soil, mix a layer of rich compost or manure only after removing weeds.

The plant should be spaced in rows 18 inches apart. The soil should cover the roots very well but the central growing bud (crown) should be exposed to light and fresh air; otherwise if buried, the plant could easily rot. Keeping strawberries from coming in contact with the soil has the added bonus of more space for airflow. This way they ripen more evenly. In warm, sunny weather, the strawberries ripen in 30 days after blossoms are fertilized.

An absolute necessity for strawberries to grow well is at least 8 hours of sunshine everyday. Make sure to protect your strawberry fruits from birds by covering them with lightweight bird nettings. Small strawberry fruits are the result of hot and drought weather conditions. Regular watering and improving climate will help your plant to start yielding normal size fruits. Improper pollination could be the reason for deformation in shape and size of strawberry fruits.

Now that spring is quickly approaching, order some Whopper Junebearing Strawberries from Gurney’s!

Hardening off takes two weeks, and entails gradually exposing your tender seedlings to the elements until they can be transplanted and live outside comfortably.

Beginning the Process

Start the hardening-off process two weeks before the seed’s outside planting date, which is dependent on the hardiness of the plant and the last frost date in your area. Once you’ve determine the date, begin by setting your seeds outside for a couple hours during the day in an area that’s shielded form sun and wind. Direct sun is a definite no-no for young seedlings at this stage, because it will burn the tender leaves. Remember to bring your seedlings in at night. Over the following days, you may increase the time your plants go outside, but do so gradually.

Your Seedlings are Almost Ready

After a few days of gradual and protected outside exposure, you can step up your efforts a notch. Leave your plants out longer and put them in sunnier, cooler, and windier spots. Although some evidence suggests that tomatoes respond well to fertilization at this point, generally it’s not a good idea to feed or overwater your plants right now – remember, you’re trying to toughen them up!

Ready, Set, Grow!

After two weeks of increasing exposure, it’s time to plant them for good. Water the ground thoroughly, and dig a hole just a few inches deeper than the pot in which your seedlings are currently residing. Holding your seedling by the stem, place the seedling in the hole and cover it gently with soil. Once the hole is filled, create a depression around the rim of the plant where water can collect. Be sure to water frequently and to fertilize after this final step. If your weather turns nasty, you can protect your seeds with sun shields, wind blocks, or Gurney’s Tunlcover™ Plant Protector cold covers.

If you’ve never liked spinach, chances are you haven’t eaten it fresh from the garden. Garden-grown spinach is mild, tender and totally delicious! Use it in salads or steam lightly just to wilt. Either way, spinach supplies you with plenty of vision-enhancing vitamin A. Cooked or raw, the dark green leaves of spinach are a super source of vitamins, minerals and cancer-fighting compounds; a healthful addition to any of your favorite recipes. Plus, spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods you can grow!

Perennial vegetables are few and far between, so when you find one that looks good in your garden, tastes great on your plate and is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, you’ve found yourself a must-have crop. And you don’t have to look any further than asparagus! It’s one of the healthiest vegetables you can have in your diet because it’s rich in antioxidants and nutrients. The health benefits of asparagus are plenty. It contains properties that: protect against cancer, heart disease, aging, inflammation, fungi, viruses, birth defects, osteoporosis, arthritis, hair loss and depression; detoxify the body; and act as an aphrodisiac. There are tons of great asparagus recipes out there, but it may just be best on its own with a little butter melted over top of it.

With homegrown veggies this good, you might even be able to convince your own children or grandchildren to give them a try!

On a Feeding Schedule

Now that the plant has sprouted and gone through the food supply provided by the seed itself, you’re responsible for feeding the burgeoning baby plant. You should feed your seedlings one-quarter strength plant food. If the solution is too strong, it will burn the baby plant. Use room temperature water when you are watering your plant.

After the little plants have formed their second set of real leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into bigger pots. Dislodge the soil using a fork or pencil and gently lift the plant out of the pot, then dangle the plant over its new pot and sprinkle the roots with soil. Once your seedlings have grown a few more inches, they’ll be ready to face the great outdoors. You have to introduce them slowly, however, through a process called hardening off. We’ll go over this process in our next blog post!

Gurney’s Seed Starting Kit

Looking for an easier way to start seeds? I’m really excited about our new Seed Starting Kit. We’ve assembled the absolute best way to start seeds. You’ll get healthy and hearty plants every time! The best part is it’s clean…no fussing with messy potting soil or Dixie cups.

Our Seed Starting Kit allows you to quickly, easily and successfully start all kinds of seeds. Each kit contains everything you need for fast germination and vital root growth. The soil-less grow plugs are made of natural, biodegradable materials so that each plug can be directly transplanted into the garden greatly reducing transplant shock. Each grow plug contains beneficial bacteria to aid in maximum seed germination.

The lightweight 55-cell growing tray wraps each grow plug in warmth and floats them in the water-filled reservoir tray, allowing each seed to get the perfect water-to-air ratio. The humidity dome holds in the warmth and moisture, ensuring early and uniform seed germination

I recently had the opportunity to give the Seed Starting Kit a try, and let me tell you, it works! This is by far the easiest method I have ever used. It allows me to do more – and easily. Give it a try today!

Close your eyes; try to imagine a crispy crunch that fills your mouth with the distinct sweetness of the absolute juiciest fruit- that’s what it’s like biting into a Honeycrisp Apple. The delicious flavor of this hybrid variety is a cross between Honeygold and Macoun apples. Honeycrisp apples are a blushing red color; they are firm and round in shape, and an all-time favorite for eating it fresh, in salads or in cooking recipes. The pleasure of growing Honeycrisp apples in your own garden or backyard is far from comparison with any other fruit tree.

A few things that influence the growth of a wonderful dwarf tree – “Honeycrisp Apple” are:

• A location that receives full sun is the prime requirement to grow Honeycrisp apple trees. Low areas or fences might settle frost or obstruct the circulation of air.
• Honeycrisp are not self-pollinating because they are a hybrid variety. Thus, a different variety like Nova Spy, Sundance, Redfree or Sweet 16 should be grown alongside to help pollination.
• Before planting, work soil to remove weeds and grass. Mixing a lot of compost or other organic matter is advised to make the soil well-drained and loamy.
• Dig holes for the dwarf trees of Honeycrisp apple two feet deep and four feet wide. After removing the tree from its container, spread out the roots carefully and place it in the hole. Tamp the soil until the hole is completely filled.
• Remember to water regularly for the first few weeks until the trees are well established. Adding mulch would help to retain moisture and aid in protection from weeds.
• Because of disease-resistant specialty, hybrid tree of Honeycrisp apple is less prone to get affected from diseases and pests. However, a suggested fertilizer and insecticide would help the apple trees to become stronger and healthier.
• While pruning gives finest shape and structure to Honeycrisp apple trees; thinning motivates large-size fruits and superior yields year after year. Honeycrisp apple tree start ripening fruits in September.