Strawberry Gariguette: main advantages of the variety and reviews from gardeners

The Gariguetta variety of strawberries appeared in the south of France in 1934. The elite dessert variety Royal Sovereign was taken as the basis; the culture received its name in honor of the Gariguette area in the province of Provence. In 1976, employees of the INRA research center added the genetic material of Belrubi and Favette and became the originators of the hybrid. A description of the Gariguetta strawberry variety, photos and reviews were published by the copyright holder company, after which the elite berry crop spread throughout Europe and was later brought to Russia.

Description of strawberry Gariguette

Gariguette, a dessert variety of garden strawberries, was bred for cultivation in the temperate continental climate of the French province. The culture does not tolerate hot and cold climates without the creation of additional conditions. High temperatures in an open area cause the berries to bake. The cold climate affects the shape and taste of the fruit. Without additional shelter, the berries stretch out, and the taste is dominated by acid.

In Europe, the Gariguetta strawberry is in demand and is grown everywhere. In Russia, strawberries have been cultivated relatively recently in the southern regions and the central zone.

Important! The Gariguetta variety does not tolerate high air humidity, is sensitive to temperature changes during the day and night, and is practically not stored.

Gariguette garden strawberries are not suitable for growing on large farm plots due to complex agricultural technology and poor transportability. Strawberries Gariguetta cannot be found on supermarket shelves. They grow berries on their plots for their own consumption, less often for sale in small vegetable markets. A description of the Gariguette strawberry variety will help you decide on the choice of variety for your garden plot:

1. The ripening period is mid-early.
2. The berries ripen sequentially, and the harvest is spread over 30 days or more. They ripen unevenly, often with white fragments on the top.
3. The appearance of the bush stands out among other varieties. The plant is spreading, intensively leafy, up to 30 cm high, about 55 cm in diameter.
4. Gariguette strawberries form stems immediately after planting; rosettes and lashes are formed from the lateral axillary buds. It produces up to 25 rosettes and more than twenty whiskers.
5. The leaves are large, light green, the surface is rough, corrugated, the edges of the rounded leaf plate have a pronounced toothed structure.
6. The peduncles are long, strong, located below the leaf, forming up to two dozen white flowers with a yellow core. The flowers are bisexual.
7. The root system is superficial, branched, deepened by 35 cm.
8. The shape of the first berries is in the form of a ridge, the subsequent ones are cone-shaped and elongated. The berries of the first harvest weigh about 70 g, located above the same mass within 40 g.
9. The peel is thin, so the strawberries are not stored, the color is red with an orange tint. The surface at the site of seed formation is concave.
10. The pulp is juicy, aromatic, with a good dessert taste, without acid, loose consistency with a white core.

According to gardeners, the Gariguette strawberry is not a high-yielding variety; it is grown for its gastronomic merits. The average yield is 0.5 kg per bush. The level of fruiting directly depends on the temperature.

Landing

An area for planting is selected that differs:

• fertile and loose soil (loams and sandstones are not suitable for Gariguette);
• light shading;
• elevation and removal of groundwater;
• absence of winds and drafts.

Planting is planned for the end of August or May. The soil at this time will be warm, and frosts will not be terrible. If the area is northern, then it is better to plant Gariguetta on a high ridge, in a film tunnel, or use dark agrofibre so that the earth warms up faster. In southern regions, it is necessary to provide shading from a net or awning.

Since strawberry bushes are large and form many tendrils, this is taken into account in the planting scheme: 40 cm between bushes and 60 cm between rows are the minimum values ​​that must be maintained. Queen plants intended for subsequent propagation with the help of mustaches, and fruit-bearing bushes that produce a harvest, are best planted in separate beds.

Pros and cons of the garden strawberry variety Gariguette

Strawberry Gariguetta is one of the varieties that require special attention. By creating conditions close to their historical homeland, the culture will retain the taste and shape of the berries.

The advantages of the Gariguette variety include:

• high gastronomic rating, the pulp is homogeneous without voids;
• good yield for private cultivation;
• long fruiting period;
• perennial growth. In one area, the plant bears fruit for more than 5 years;
• when favorable conditions are created, garden strawberries are resistant to infection;
• formation of a sufficient number of whiskers for reproduction.

The disadvantages of Gariguetta strawberries appear only in the Russian climate. In Europe, the variety grows without defects.

The disadvantages include:

• the uneven shape of the berries creates problems when selling, consumers believe that these are different varieties;
• at low temperatures, the fruits become narrow, elongated, with an increased acid concentration;
• strawberries are baked in an open sunny area;
• It is poorly stored and does not tolerate transportation.

The Gariguette variety requires shade and shelter at night. The flowers are located in front of the leaf plate; with high air humidity, the berry is affected by mold.

History of variety selection

The Gariguette variety was bred in the southern regions of France in the 30s of the twentieth century.
(according to other sources - in 1976). This variety gained popularity among Europeans; they considered it an elite and dessert variety. —>There are several opinions about which varieties served as the material for selection during breeding. According to one of them, these were Belrubi and Favette. Some sources claim that Gariguette has become an analogue of the Royal Sovereign variety.

Did you know? Unlike other berries, strawberries have seeds located not inside, but outside. There are about 200 of them on each fruit.

Planting and caring for the Gariguette strawberry variety

Gariguette garden strawberries are bred by seeds or vegetatively, by rosettes formed on the tendrils. The second method is used more often; the plant produces a sufficient amount of planting material.

Selection and preparation of a landing site

Agricultural technology for Gariguette strawberries will directly depend on the growing region. Temperate climates require greenhouse structures. You can plant strawberries on high beds with a thick layer of mulch or use special agrofibre. In the South, a site is chosen with periodic shading or an awning is used for shelter during the hot daytime.

Attention! Strawberry Gariguette is demanding on the composition of the soil; on sandy and loamy soil the growing season will be incomplete.

The composition should be light, fertile, well drained. Do not plant garden strawberries in open areas on the south side, lowlands, or wetlands. The best option is a hill from the southwest. The Gariguetta variety does not tolerate exposure to the north wind; a building wall or a solid fence can serve as protection from drafts.

Preparation of planting material

If Gariguette strawberries are grown with rosettes, planting material is chosen with a fully formed central part and a developed root system. The seedlings are carefully separated from the mother bush, dug up and replanted together with a ball of soil.

When purchasing seedlings, pay attention to the leaves; they should be free of dry fragments. The core should be well formed, the root should be branched, single shoots will not produce a strong plant or will not be accepted. Before being placed in a permanent area, seedlings are treated with an antifungal drug.

Landing rules

Gariguetta strawberries are planted at the end of August or in the spring, when the soil has completely warmed up and there is no threat of return frosts. Sequence of work:

1. Loosen the bed, remove weeds.
2. Cut the ridge and make a furrow 30 cm deep in the center.
3. Organic matter is placed at the bottom.
4. The seedlings are placed vertically, covered with soil, the core should be on the surface.
5. Water and mulch.

In the central regions of Russia, strawberries are planted on high beds, with the possibility of installing arcs or using agrofibre. Layout of strawberries: between bushes 45 cm, row spacing 0.5 m. The bush grows well, so you need enough space for planting.

Watering and fertilizing

Watering is carried out using the drip method in greenhouses 2 times every 10 days. Strawberry Gariguette does not tolerate waterlogging. In an open area, they are guided by the amount of precipitation. If the summer is dry, the frequency of watering is the same as in the greenhouse. If there is sufficient rainfall, additional watering is not required.

Spring fertilizing is applied when the first new leaves appear. Urea is used. The variety is fertilized a second time after flowering. Give a potassium, phosphorus agent or an organic solution with the addition of ash. Culture responds well to “Effecton-I”. During the period of berry formation, the plant is treated with the growth stimulator "Energen".

Mulching and loosening

Gariguette strawberries are mulched immediately after planting, regardless of how the crop is grown: in an open area or in a greenhouse. Use any cereal straw, peat or pine needles. Loosening is not required when planting on agrofibre. Moisture is retained under the shelter and the top layer of soil does not dry out. Without the use of special material, the soil is loosened as a dry crust forms; this is necessary for unhindered access of oxygen to the root system. Weeding is necessary to remove weeds.

Preparing for winter

Strawberries will not overwinter in a temperate climate; to protect the plant from low temperatures, the bushes are completely covered with a layer of straw or pine needles and covered with film on top. On a high bed you can install arcs with stretched agrofibre. Tunnel protection is rarely used, because the process is labor-intensive and uneconomical. In the South, the variety overwinters without film cover, just a thick layer of mulch.

Description and main characteristics

Gariguette strawberries have a powerful structure; their bushes are strong, tall and quite spreading. Many gardeners take this parameter as a disadvantage, because the plant needs good lighting and free space.

Young bushes are attractive in appearance, their leaf blades are glossy with many light veins. This feature is considered as an outstanding varietal characteristic, allowing one to immediately identify and remove misgraded plants from the garden bed.

The flower stalks are large and dense, capable of holding up to 20 berries at a time. The bushes are distinguished by their increased ability to form mustaches. They produce at least 10 branches per year. This nuance complicates care during the growing season, but simplifies the reproduction process.

The root system is massive, branched, not superficial. The crop easily tolerates drought and overwatering and is not affected by root rot.

The variety belongs to the group of mid-season varieties. In temperate climates, the harvest ripens in mid-June, and the fruiting period extends for one month. No signs of repair were observed in the hybrid.

It is difficult to imagine a full description of the variety without considering the fruits themselves. Photos and videos confirm that strawberries meet the following characteristics:

• shape - cone with a truncated base;
• the color is bright red, the surface of the fruit is strewn with multiple pressed seeds;
• the weight of the fruits ranges from 40 to 70 g, so they cannot be considered one-dimensional;
• the pulp is juicy, white inside with a slight shade of pink;
• the taste qualities can be called excellent, the tasting assessment is successful - 4.3 points out of 5 possible were received.

Gariguette strawberries are not suitable for growing for sale. Ripe berries cannot be transported or stored for long periods of time, because the variety is very soft. It is pointless to pick it from the bush in an unripe form - the fruit will not meet the specified characteristics, and the acidic taste will remain.

In terms of yield, this is not a very generous strawberry; the “gariguette” variety is inferior to many other varieties. The harvest volume from one bush rarely exceeds 400-500 g, so productivity is assessed as average.

The culture is too sensitive to illiterate care. If the whiskers are not removed in a timely manner, the yield will come to naught. It is also important that the taste characteristics are fully revealed if the bushes grow in a climate zone close to France. In Russia, gardeners often encounter failures when growing.

Reproduction

In nurseries, Gariguette strawberries are propagated by seeds. Propagation by seeds at home is difficult; planting material does not always sprout. Algorithm for growing seedlings:

1. Peat is poured into containers and seeds are placed.
2. The containers are placed in a lighted place with a constant temperature of at least 250 C.
3. After the second leaf has formed, the strawberries are poured into plastic glasses.

In the garden, strawberries are often propagated using rosettes from the mother bush.

Advice! It is recommended to plant bushes for growing Gariguetta strawberries separately from the main bed.

Diseases and pests

Despite the fact that Gariguetta strawberries have strong immunity, you should still take care of preventative spraying before flowering. At this time, “Fitosporin”, “Fitoplus”, “Zircon” are used against diseases, and “Karbofos”, “Aktellik” are sprayed against pests.

If you don’t forget about prevention and quality care, then, most likely, the owner of strawberry beds will not have to fight harmful insects or diseases.

Features of agricultural technology

To grow the variety, you need to create optimal conditions, which is easier to do when using covering material for mulching.

Due to the fact that Gariguette is considered a heat-loving variety, adaptation to other climatic conditions comes with complications. The plant grows well and reproduces in loose, light, fertile soil. In the northern regions, the best solution is agrofibre.

They also use greenhouse conditions; a drip irrigation system is installed inside the greenhouse. They are planted at the end of the season - the second half of August or in the spring, when the last frosts have already passed. Maintain a distance of forty centimeters between bushes. It is not recommended to plant closer, as the crop produces dense foliage and a large number of shoots.

In early spring, for better growth over Gariguette strawberries, it is recommended to install arcs and stretch the film.

Soil preparation

The soil should be prepared correctly and nutritional supplements containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus should be added.

When growing in the southern regions, it is worth taking care of the tent cover.

When planting, the holes are shed generously with water.

High temperatures and direct exposure to sunlight contribute to the drying out of the foliage and root systems, wrinkling of berries and loss of taste and aroma.

Review of the Gariguet variety

Stepan Viktorovich, Ekaterinburg

I bought garden strawberry seedlings called Gariguetta, although many call this variety Gariguette. In our temperate climate area, strawberries have performed well. Gariguet's bushes grow very powerful, heavily leafy with light green leaves. This variety is easy to recognize among others precisely by the size and shape of the bush. The first berries were very large - about 80 grams, their shape resembled a spatula. In the last harvests, the strawberries were no longer so large, but their shape also became more even, regular - like a truncated cone. There were no small fruits in the harvest at all. I grow this variety in high beds, which I hill up periodically. I plan to propagate Gariguetta (fortunately, it produces a lot of mustaches) and grow it for sale. By the way, strawberry yields were above average.

Rules for growing elite strawberries

Of course, without efforts on the part of the gardener, a strawberry variety from a mild temperate climate will not be able to fully adapt to the harsh continental one. However, in the southern and central regions you can try to grow Gariguetta in your own garden. In the north of the country it is already recommended to use greenhouses, film tunnels, heated greenhouses in which the microclimate can be regulated.

In general, the method of growing Gariguette strawberries greatly depends on the climatic characteristics of a particular region.

Planting strawberries

Before planting strawberry seedlings, you need to choose a good place for this:

• with fertile, loose and light soil (Gariguetta, unlike other strawberry varieties, does not like loam and sandy loam);
• with the possibility of natural or artificial shading (in extreme heat, strawberries will need shelter);
• in an area protected from strong winds;
• on flat or slightly elevated terrain (berries rot in lowlands).

Attention! It is recommended to plant garden strawberries of the Gariguet variety in the last ten days of August or in the spring, when the soil has warmed up sufficiently and the threat of return frosts has passed.

In the northern and central regions with a cooler climate, it is recommended to plant Gariget on high beds or use special agrofibre and sprinkle the bushes with organic mulch. In regions with a hot climate (Krasnodar Territory, Crimea), it is better to provide for the possibility of shading strawberry beds, using a net or awning for this.

The planting pattern should be as follows: at least 40 cm between the bushes and 40-50 cm - the interval between the beds. If the plantings are too dense, the strawberries will not reach their full potential, and you need to leave room for the mustache.

Advice! Experienced gardeners recommend separately planting queen cells (from which the tendrils will be taken for propagating strawberries) and fruit-bearing beds (from which the harvest is harvested).

How to care

Some seed producers claim that Gariguet strawberries are unpretentious and unpretentious. This may be true in France, but in the climate of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus it is quite difficult to grow a decent harvest of the Gariguette variety.

The best place for these strawberries is a film tunnel. But such cultivation is not profitable for industrial strawberry producers, and ordinary summer residents often do not want to bother with such capricious varieties when there are more unpretentious and adapted ones.

You will have to care for Gariguette strawberries a lot and often:

• Constantly feed the beds, because without this, instead of large beautiful berries, small elongated “carrots” will grow. Gariguetta responds well to any fertilizer, both organic and mineral. At the beginning of the growing season, strawberries need nitrogen, and at the stage of flowering and formation of hearths - potassium and phosphorus. In the fall, after harvesting, you can use humus and wood ash.
• Strawberries need to be watered intensively, otherwise the fruits will grow small and tasteless. Gariget responds best to drip irrigation. You can also water the bushes through furrows and channels laid directly next to the bushes.

• In colder regions, you will have to use shelters, and in hotter regions, stock up on netting or awnings to protect the plants from the sun.
• Considering that flowers and fruits are located low, you need to avoid their contact with the ground (especially during the rainy season). For this, mulch or agrofibre is used.
• Strawberries need to be processed, even though the variety is considered resistant to diseases and pests. It is better to use preventative agents that spray the bushes even before the flowering phase of garden strawberries.

• Excess tendrils will have to be removed, as they will quickly take root and the beds will turn out neglected. The shoots are trimmed in the fall, before covering the strawberries for the winter.
• For the winter, the Gariguette variety must be covered. In most regions, covering the crop with agrofibre or mulch is sufficient, provided that the winter is snowy. Under other circumstances, you will have to take care of more serious protection for strawberries.

In general, a farmer or summer resident will have to be patient - Gariguette by itself will not grow in Russia. But with the right agricultural technology, the taste of this variety will be fully revealed, and the strawberry yield will be above average.

Reviews from gardeners

Reviews from gardeners vary. According to some reviews, this variety has an advantage over other varieties due to its tender and juicy pulp and high taste characteristics. And the berries are also well suited for culinary processing - aromatic jam and compotes.

Another opinion is a negative assessment. Strawberries are characterized by a low level of transportability. The berries do not have a long shelf life and do not store well when frozen - due to their soft consistency, they spread out when frozen and do not retain their taste and smell.

Among other things, strawberries are overly demanding of stable temperatures and certain types of soil. In all regions except the mild climate of southern France, it is difficult to adapt. Does not tolerate low and high temperatures. If there is a slight frost, it freezes and dies; if the weather is too hot, it burns.

Advantages

Main advantages:

• pleasant taste;
• high productivity;
• resistance to major diseases;
• fragrant aroma;
• Suitability for cooking.

Inside the berry there is a white core, there is practically no hollow space. Under favorable conditions, the surface of the fruit is evenly colored and is characterized by thin outer skin.

Flaws

The berries of this variety of strawberries can grow very different in shape.

With all the advantages, there are also disadvantages:

• heterogeneity of shapes;
• does not increase in size in cold climates;
• flowers grow below the leaves;
• in hot climates, the upper skin wrinkles and bakes;
• with prolonged dampness there is no taste or smell.

Different forms from the same harvest are a significant disadvantage for trade. Most buyers believe that these are not the same variety. The location of peduncles below the leaf level suggests uneven ripening and the development of gray rot.

Gariguetta strawberries are rarely found on sale; they can only be placed in one layer for transportation.