Strawberry Sonata | Mid Season Fruiting Strawberry

Prepare the ground well before planting. Clear all the weeds and dig in lots of well-rotted manure. When planting out, space the plants at 45cm intervals with 75cm between each row and apply a generous layer of mulch around the base of the plants, being careful to avoid the crown. If training onto a support, tie them in as they start to grow and keep the runners off the ground. If you want to grow them in the more conventional way and let them trail along the ground, then put a thick layer of straw or use strawberry mats under the plants to stop the fruit touching the soil when they are starting to form. Sheets of black plastic mulch can also be used, and it will also help retain soil moisture, reduce weeds and encourage early cropping. Remove excess runners as needed or propagate by pegging down 5 stems growing over the soil surface and leaving them attached until autumn when they can cut from the mother plant. If planted in late summer, remove flowers the first year to encourage fruiting next year. After the final harvest, remove old leaves with hand shears. Leave the crown & new leaves to allow the sun to reach the centre of the plant.