Day 1

There I was, gazing over the battleground where the rebellion had been successfully waged. The bushes, having taken over the netted barricades, stood together in a mocking sort of way.

“What can she do to us?” they jeered as I examined what lay before me.

But I was not so easily swayed by the rabid nature of the rebel strawberry bushes. The sun shone fiercely, highlighting the runners that continued warring against the lawn, mercilessly invading the grass beyond their established boundary. Even the grass begged for relief from the burden of the strawberries. The weeds stood their ground, as if to say, “We will never be conquered!”

Armed with the clippers, I stood over my foe, unwilling to be intimidated by such puny plants.

I went in, matching the recklessness of the red fruit.

Snip.

Snip.

Snip.

One by one, the stringy minions were separated from the mother plants. Some of their offspring were too fresh to survive. Others were given a place in the patch to thrive - and hopefully not wage war as their parents had.

But there was still more nonsense to quell. Risking contact with the venomous arachnids and red ants, I entered the jungle of strawberry leaves, eradicating every last runner I could find. A few rabid runners had entangled themselves in the old netting, which proved to be yet another formidable foe. I had to decide: that could wait another day.

Gradually, the jungle was cleared. As I went, I decimated the weeds that had joined forces with the bushes. There was no getting past the blades of the clippers!

The battleground began to clear. And in the jungle of bush leaves and weeds, I discovered new life!

Yes! A wee strawberry, green and fresh, peeked out from the violent warzone as an encouragement that this mother plant was doing right. I reassured the little darling before returning to the troublesome task of defeating the rogues.

After much strategizing and going in hot, a small part of the rebellion was finally subdued!

But time was short, for I had to retreat from the renegades and their pawns to go entertain regular life. But the sense of accomplishment was a breath of fresh air! And certainly, the strawberries would be somewhat grateful that they can breathe and produce new fruit.

🍓 And thus concludes the first episode in a multi-stage operation.

Growing fresh strawberries entails a lot of care. And I mean a lot.

Much like my potato project, managing strawberries is a huge learning process!

Here are some key takeaways:

Hope those tidbits of advice help if growing strawberries is something you’re new to!

Next time on the newsletter, we’ll be taking a trip to the potato patch! Keep an eye on your inboxes as I will be providing another fun take on growing potatoes! 🥔