Re: Strawberries, yields, and post harvest care

Marc Iverson 6/26/2014, 8:27 pm

How about planting a vining crop on the north side so most of the sun will still hit the bed the usual way?

**walshevak** 6/27/2014, 8:31 am

Marc Iverson wrote:How about planting a vining crop on the north side so most of the sun will still hit the bed the usual way?

Pole beans????

Kay

Marc Iverson 6/27/2014, 2:32 pm

Nice thing about those is they can grow so quickly that you might get plenty even though the season has already been going for a while. And they can be trained pretty easily so they don't spread out too far and start stealing sun from the strawberries. Only thing is, they like a pretty tall trellis. On the other hand, they can be trained to grow horizontally, so you could support them on string or clothesline that leads out to a support that's not even on the bed itself, but could be a ways away -- like a fence, some other trellis, etc.

Could you grow quinoa? They're tall but narrow and self-supporting and have plenty of flowers for pollinators.

lyndeeloo 6/27/2014, 10:32 pm

I'll have to check into pole beans and quinoa. I know pole beans can be a problem as a companion plant for many things, will have to look it up. Thanks for the ideas kay and marc!

**camprn** 6/27/2014, 10:51 pm

How are pole beans a problem to other plants? Strawberries really should have a dedicated bed to avoid root disruption. If you want to use up extra space in the bed, plant the runners. At least, that's what I would do.

lyndeeloo 6/28/2014, 10:55 am

camprn wrote:How are pole beans a problem to other plants?

The science of it is beyond me, so I searched out sources I felt I could rely on. In my research this spring, I consulted companion planting guides created by Mother Earth News, Farmers Almanac, for Dummies, some I found specifically related to SFG and several others. Most suggested to avoid planting pole beans near onions, garlic and beets. Others added tomatoes to the list. Issues cited were related to pests, conflicting chemicals released/nutrients used by plants and diseases. Lots of info out there and lots of conflicting opinions. I looked for the combinations of planting suggestions that sources agreed on most and tried to plant accordingly. Do you have a particular companion planting guide that you rely on Camprn?

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