Dear Helen: My strawberry plants each have one or two leaves turning red and dying. I planted them this spring and they produced a small crop of berries. What could be causing the leaves to deteriorate?
E.V.
It is not unusual for outer leaves on strawberry plants, especially post-harvest, to gradually turn reddish brown. The plants renew themselves by growing new young leaves to replace the oldest, outer ones.
The dry, warm weather during early June could have stressed the plants. Strawberries are shallow-rooted plants that need regular watering in dry weather.
That your newly planted strawberries produced a small crop may have stressed the plants. It is recommended that strawberries planted in spring (or even late in the previous autumn) have the blossoms removed in that first year of potential berry bearing, to allow them to thoroughly establish and build up to a really fine crop in the following year.
As long as the plants are not听wilting and new growth is appearing, they are probably all right. There are various diseases of strawberries, but plants growing in heavy, wet soils or in low-lying sites that are poorly drained are most susceptible. You mention your planting is in a听raised bed.
Now is a good time to tidy the planting. Trim off dying leaves, weed, and mulch with compost or/and composted manure. Thin the plants out to ease congestion and, if desired, expand the planting with runners put out by the original plants.
听
Dear Helen: I鈥檓 embarking on summer planting of fall and winter vegetables now, and would like some guidance on using a听home-made natural-source fertilizer blend that I have made from information in one of your columns. How much of the fertilizer should I use per plant, for example broccoli?
L.A.
I don鈥檛 dole the fertilizer out per plant, but sprinkle it along a row or over a block area to be planted. First, I dig the area over to loosen the soil and remove any debris. Then I lay out the area to be planted and place compost and fertilizer over it, to be lightly forked in. I use approximately two handfuls over each square metre.
For potted plants, I add a little of the fertilizer to a planting mix I鈥檝e blended in a wheelbarrow, at听the rate of around a handful to听each barrow filled to about three-quarters of its capacity.
听
Dear Helen: The stalks of our garlic plants were brown and dry听by the first week of July. We waited a while, hoping for rain and maybe a little more bulb growth. We鈥檇 never dug garlic that early. We finally did dig the bulbs and they seem all right. What would you have done?
G.G.
Garlic was early to mature this year. The long, warm spring accelerated its growth cycle.
It鈥檚 best to dig the bulbs, or at least to dig a few 鈥渢est鈥� bulbs to check their condition, when the top growth is one-half to two-thirds dried. After that stage, the听cloves may start to separate. Once that coming-apart begins, the storage life of the bulbs is compromised.
听
Dear Helen: I have just bought a听condo with two large balconies, where I want to establish a container food garden using lightweight pots. One balcony faces east, the other west. I鈥檓 wondering about the possibility of growing fruits and berries.
sa国际传媒
The breeding and production of increasingly small sized fruit and vegetable plants has been a focus of the gardening industry in recent years, in recognition of more people living in small space gardens, town houses, and condos.
鈥淐olumnar鈥� or 鈥渟tick鈥� apples can be grown in tubs and patio pots, and now there are dwarf blueberry bushes and raspberry canes. 鈥楻aspberry Shortcake鈥� is a dwarf raspberry recommended for containers. It is said to produce good quality berries at midsummer. Strawberries do well in regular, wide pots but tend to struggle in the tall clay containers with pockets, where the soil heats up too much and is difficult to keep thoroughly and adequately moist.
Leafy green vegetables will be听ideal for the east-facing balcony in summer. Grow tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme) on the west-facing balcony.
Check with the building manager about any existing weight restrictions. Keep in mind that larger sized containers are easier to keep adequately watered and will allow for more robust and enduring growth than small ones.
