There was a little bit of a challenge this year— there came a sudden frost. I had to hustle to throw a couple layers of fleece over the hand-full blooming plants so that I would not loose buds…and thus, fruits. it was a severe frosting that night and for two days after. It was freezing and there was wind. There were hedges, bushes and plants over the whole complex here that suffered. Things like ferns and decorative grasses fell prey in my own garden…but not the strawbs. There was not one black face ! Chuffed to bits, I wuz. Once the frost was well fore-bye and the berries began to blush, up went the nets. Well, we have harvested and harvested, they are now coming to an end of production. They have actually done well, considering this is their first year. Here, the Daroyal’s: One of the harvests, a trug full: Then the new kid on the block, the Verdi…a very large strawberry, but the flavour was not better than the Daroyal, and they did not produce more as many fruits as the Daroyal. I may pull them out and try a new one next year. You can easily see that there are lass berries on this plant than on the Daroyals; what you can’t really tell from this foto is the size of the berries. Include this next foto to illustrate that: Of course all this work and care must be rewarded.
Yum! Looking at those photos, Sjoerd, the fragrance and flavor cross the Atlantic and the continents. I can actually taste them! I will show those photos to my strawberry plants to inspire them. Mine aren't bad, considering I planted them in February as bare root plants. They have produced a few flowers, which I remove to give the plants a chance to grow larger. These are considered everbearing. I'm hoping for a fall crop. Sjoerd, how long do you think it takes from appearance of flower to ripe strawberry? I think that's how I will time it, to let flowers develop.
The valley behind us have a strawberry festival every year. All the strawbs you can pic. The problem with that is I end up eating half of them before they are weighed to pay. I tell them at the check out I probably ate a pound … and just add another pound to the check, they are so fresh and tasty. With icecream and shortcake. Strawb lemonade. All around for a celebration of Strawberries , and a band , dancing , hay rides. Animal zoo for the kids. The works.
Those look amazing Sjoerd. The bunnies have chewed the un-ripened fruit from my plants so it looks like I'll have to wait another year
Another good picking of the cherry tomatoes, one more bell pepper, and our first Roma tomato. The plants that survived sitting in a bath are making up for lost time! Also had a good harvest of thymes that are now hanging and drying.
Oh Wow @Sjoerd ......what a fantastic harvest you've had!! They look very scrummy. My mouth is watering just looking at the pics., yum, yum.
Marlin good news from Texas and a nice harvest already in your zone. I have a few more weeks to go in zone 8.
