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permaculture

Mulching strawberries with rocks

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posted 13 years ago

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Hi Lovely People,

I'm in the damp South West of England and am building an asparagus and strawberry hugel bed. Would making a permanent mulch around the strawberries with small rocks be a good idea? Alpine strawberries seem to love being between a rock and a hard place, but not sure about the cultivated ones. Makes sense in my mind, as temperatures rarely get over 25C, 77F.

My first time here, so please be gentle with me

Thanks

Morgan Morrigan

Posts: 1400

Location: Verde Valley, AZ.

posted 13 years ago

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absolutley.
find some with blue/green lichen on em, and they will feed em nitrogen too.

would prob only put down a single layer of flat ones, pushed into the soil, so doesn't harbor snails.... or import lizards.

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Rick Roman

pollinator

Posts: 442

posted 13 years ago

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If you paint the rocks red they may deter birds from eating your berries.

http://thehomesteadjones.blogspot.com/2012/05/painted-strawberry-rocks-to-fool-birds.html

Hans Quistorff

gardener

Posts: 1987

Location: Longbranch, WA Mild wet winter dry climate change now hot summer

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posted 13 years ago

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I live in a climate like yours and I have had good success with my June bearing strawberries in a rock stabilized bank that faces SE. The stones vary from 2 feet in diameter at the bottom to the size of my hand at the top. The plants are in the spaces between rocks stuffed with compost and soil. I can direct the runners to new locations each year. The rocks warm the soil for an early harvest and keep the berries free of splashed soil. I have no problem with birds because the cats warm themselves on the ledges.

Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT projects on permies Hans Massage Qberry Farm magnet therapy gmail hquistorff

Hans Quistorff

gardener

Posts: 1987

Location: Longbranch, WA Mild wet winter dry climate change now hot summer

489

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posted 13 years ago

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Forgot to mention the Alpine strawberries. I have these in rock wall about one foot high that holds my shade flower bed from my path. They do better in shade than regular strawberries. They are a good incentive to stop and weed the flower bed. They also do well in my cement culvert beds on the south end of the house where they are planted along the edge where they can hang over. Although the Alpines are easy to start from seed they also make a mat of runners hanging down the 2 foot height of the planters. The planters are mulched with grass clippings.

Hans Albert Quistorff, LMT projects on permies Hans Massage Qberry Farm magnet therapy gmail hquistorff

Michael Helmersson

gardener

Posts: 739

Location: Geraldton, Ontario -Zone 1b

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posted 4 years ago

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Hans Quistorff wrote:I live in a climate like yours and I have had good success with my June bearing strawberries in a rock stabilized bank that faces SE. The stones vary from 2 feet in diameter at the bottom to the size of my hand at the top. The plants are in the spaces between rocks stuffed with compost and soil. I can direct the runners to new locations each year. The rocks warm the soil for an early harvest and keep the berries free of splashed soil. I have no problem with birds because the cats warm themselves on the ledges.

This sounds brilliant. Thanks for the idea.

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