I've purchased for myself Mara Des Bois Strawberry plants. It's considered a newer strawberry plant, which was developed in France back in the early 1990s and has been made available to the American market in the last few years. I won't go on about the history of this plant because many other blogs have done a wonderful job discussing strawberries and the development of the Mara Des Bois strawberry (see this website for a good read: http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/the-strawberry-dance/).
I will, however, let you know that I've established a raised bed for the strawberries and planted the strawberry plants over the weekend. I also read that I will get and should allow the strawberry plants to produce fruit this summer, even though it's the plants first year. To say the least, I'm excited.
So what happened to my other strawberry plants? Well, when moving, I had potted up a lot of the plants. I intended to bring these strawberry plants with me, but I had second thoughts. See, the strawberry plants were given to me from an intern and I didn't know the variety. I believe he may have purchased the plants from a big box store. All I know about the plant is based upon my observations. I believe that it is a June-bearing plant, meaning that it only produced fruit during a 2-3 week period, sometime in June. The strawberries were medium-sized, sweet (what organically homegrown fruit wouldn't be sweet), but I found them to be a bit watery. The plants itself put out a lot of runners, which I found a hassle to keep under control. Overall, I know I could've saved money and kept these strawberry plants, but in the end I believed that I could and should find a better strawberry plant to suit my needs. Thus, I did not bring these strawberry plants with me to my new home.
See, I wanted a strawberry plant that would produce strawberries throughout the summer (known as everbearing strawberries). I also wanted strawberries that would taste like strawberries and not be so watery. At the same time, I didn't have a lot of time to be keeping up several strawberry patches. At my old house, I only had one small patch and it took a lot of energy to keep it weeded, watered, and healthy. It didn't help that my mate at the time (who did not help with the weeding and watering) was too lazy to go and pick the strawberries (even for his own consumption). In addition to the strawberries, I also have other fruits, plants, vegetables, that may also need my attention. Thus, due to time constraints, I am limited to one strawberry patch and I decided that the strawberry I will grow has got to come close to what I want.
I will, however, let you know that I've established a raised bed for the strawberries and planted the strawberry plants over the weekend. I also read that I will get and should allow the strawberry plants to produce fruit this summer, even though it's the plants first year. To say the least, I'm excited.
So what happened to my other strawberry plants? Well, when moving, I had potted up a lot of the plants. I intended to bring these strawberry plants with me, but I had second thoughts. See, the strawberry plants were given to me from an intern and I didn't know the variety. I believe he may have purchased the plants from a big box store. All I know about the plant is based upon my observations. I believe that it is a June-bearing plant, meaning that it only produced fruit during a 2-3 week period, sometime in June. The strawberries were medium-sized, sweet (what organically homegrown fruit wouldn't be sweet), but I found them to be a bit watery. The plants itself put out a lot of runners, which I found a hassle to keep under control. Overall, I know I could've saved money and kept these strawberry plants, but in the end I believed that I could and should find a better strawberry plant to suit my needs. Thus, I did not bring these strawberry plants with me to my new home.
See, I wanted a strawberry plant that would produce strawberries throughout the summer (known as everbearing strawberries). I also wanted strawberries that would taste like strawberries and not be so watery. At the same time, I didn't have a lot of time to be keeping up several strawberry patches. At my old house, I only had one small patch and it took a lot of energy to keep it weeded, watered, and healthy. It didn't help that my mate at the time (who did not help with the weeding and watering) was too lazy to go and pick the strawberries (even for his own consumption). In addition to the strawberries, I also have other fruits, plants, vegetables, that may also need my attention. Thus, due to time constraints, I am limited to one strawberry patch and I decided that the strawberry I will grow has got to come close to what I want.
This spring, I finally started work on parts of my yard, including my strawberry patch, and came across the Mara Des Bois strawberry in an internet search. It's my understanding that the fruit is very tender and is too perishable for shipping (hey, I don't intend to transport these strawberries anywhere), but definately packs a punch with its strawberry taste. I'll let you know (I hope) how well the strawberry actually lives up to the hype when I get the first strawberry of the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment