Lipstick Pink Strawberries
$1.00 each
Fraises des Bois Strawberries (Fragaria)
Choosing a site. Plant Fraises des bois Alpine Strawberries in full sun or partial shade. Strawberries
thrive in well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Amending your soil with aged
manure or compost will supply all the nutrients the young plants need to get started. Proper
drainage is essential, so mound the soil to form raised beds, if necessary.
Avoid planting Strawberries where Potatoes,
Tomatoes, Eggplants, or Peppers have been grown
before. Soils in which these plants have grown may
harbor the wilt-causing Verticillium fungus, which
can affect your plants.
Spacing. Plant Fraises des bois 1ft apart in the
ground. Allow 1cu ft of soil per plant in containers,
less in Strawberry jars. Plants grown in containers
should be protected from hot sun in the summer
and from freezing in the winter.
Planting in the ground. Dig a wide, shallow hole
large enough to accommodate the roots comfortably.
Then spread the roots evenly inside the hole and cover them with soil, setting the crown
(the point where stem and roots meet) at soil level. Firm the soil with your hands and water
thoroughly. Placing the crown precisely at soil level—rather than deeper or higher—is very
important. It keeps the crown from rotting or from drying out.
Divide Fraises des bois plants every 3 years or so, as needed, just as growth begins to show in
the spring. Dig and cut the crowns into 2–4 pieces, making sure that each piece has a good root
system. Replant right away.
The plants are hardy to at least USDA Zone 5, which has an average
winter low of 10 to 20 degrees below zero, so they are perennial
throughout California. Where the ground freezes hard, they will survive
best with winter mulch. In good conditions, plants will form clumps of
arching leaves 6 to 10 inches tall and a foot or more across. They will
also grow to productive plants in a pot that has a 10- or 12-inch top
diameter.
Helpful tips:- Do not pick White Alpine strawberries until fully ripe.
- These strawberries are a hardy, small strawberry.
- This variety of strawberry enjoys an acidic soil.
- This variety of strawberry does not do well in humid weather.
- White Alpine strawberries are a source of natural bleach that
some have used to whiten teeth.