Strawberry Planting with Little Gardeners

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Kids…they grow like weeds, or in this case, strawberries. I’m certain that only yesterday I was pushing this chubby faced guy in our small blue swing in the backyard. He was, and is, sweetness through and through. 

He wasn’t an only child for very long before his very exuberant and delightful little sister came along. There’s no memory of life without her as far as he’s concerned. But my how they have grown! They (and now their little brother) are all my garden helpers, worm finders, and taste testers, and I’m hanging on to each memory we’re making, including planting these sweet little strawberry plants.

A friend blessed with some strawberry plants that grew off of her’s from the year before (sister plants-bonus for us!). And as we searched for the perfect spot, and dug down deep to make sure those roots had plenty of room, I was overcome with how these strawberries would grow just as fast as my babies have. And how I pray that my kids’ roots will grow just as strong and steady as those here in the ground.

These strawberries will soon be sending out shoots and sister plants, blooming out sweet red berries along the way. And isn’t that what we do as parents? Send out those growing plants and hopefully give them what they need to grow and thrive? Strawberries, much like children, are pretty resilient, and if you plant them in a good spot, give them some love and care, they will grow, and grow, and grow.

Each year these bright green berry plants should come back, so we picked a place that would:

1. Get plenty of sun!
2. Give the plants room to spread without taking over.
3. Not be overly wet if we get heavy rain.
4. Not be mowed over when they start spreading out. (There was no place that they were safe from the littlest gardeners feet though.)
5. Have a mulchy (is that even a word?) cover to help keep in moisture, and to also protect the plants in the winter months.

 

We opted for a spot just beyond the lawn, and though there is a bit of tree cover, this place still gets plenty of sun during the day. While digging our holes, we saw quite a few worms, so we knew the soil was rich and ready to go! Blossoms had already started peeking through on the plants, and a tiny green berry or two were also making an appearance. We hope to have some sweet berries soon, and our local strawberry farms are opening up their fields for picking in about a week! I have some super tasty recipes coming up for you, from strawberry spinach salad to sweet strawberry buttercream frosting (which just happened to be on our girly gardener’s birthday cake)!

So, think about adding some sweet berries to your garden spot this year (or even to just a well lit bed in your yard) with the help of a mini-gardener or too. Who doesn’t love a little help in the garden, even if there is a squished plant or two along the way?