Protecting strawberries from the cold

The strawberry season is short. Almost everyone eagerly awaits the first red fruits. Whether eaten on a cake, with cream or just as they are: they always taste good.

In order to have a rich strawberry harvest in summer, they should be well protected against frost. As strawberries already begin to flower when temperatures are mild, protection against frost is highly recommended. In addition, the roots of strawberries are very sensitive, as they do not reach far into the soil.

To prevent the blossoms of strawberry plants from freezing, straw or brushwood can be scattered between the rows of plants. This warms the plants – but they still have air to breathe. Another possibility is to cover the strawberries with plant fleece. The plant fleece is placed over the strawberries to protect them against the cold. However, it still lets enough air and moisture through so that the plants do not die. Another advantage: fungal infection and rotting of strawberries is thus reduced.

However, do not remove the protective covering too soon! In some regions there is frequently late frost, which can damage the strawberry plants. Despite every precaution, however, you should not remove the cover too late either, but when another period of frost is improbable. The danger with straw and brushwood remaining too long on the bed is that rotting and other diseases may occur.