Neighbors of strawberries in the garden and what is best to plant after it: useful tips

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Published: 07/05/2020

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Strawberries are a “greedy and insatiable” crop; they select almost all useful components from the soil. That is why it can be cultivated in one bed for no more than 4 years, and it is better to change the place and propagate with mustaches annually.

It is not advisable to plant anything on the site immediately after the strawberries; you need to give the soil time to rest. But some crops can grow and bear fruit if the composition of the soil mixture is improved with fertilizers.

• 1 The importance of crop rotation
• 2 What should I use the garden bed for planting?
• 3 After what should you plant strawberry bushes?
• 4 What doesn’t grow in garden beds after garden strawberries?
• 5 Good neighbors: what to plant next to the strawberry bed, compatibility table 5.1 Neighbors of strawberries in the garden

Alternation of crops: why is it needed?

Normal microflora is the key to good harvests. But it is impossible to maintain it if crop rotation is disrupted. If you do not alternate crops, you cannot maintain soil fertility. The bottom line is that each plant requires a certain composition and reacts in its own way to density, acidity and other soil qualities. A certain plant is tolerant in its own way to certain harmful organisms.

After three years, it’s time to disturb the strawberry bed

Failure to alternate plantings will inevitably provoke depletion of the soil, proliferation of pests and the spread of pathogens. As a rule, all cultivated plants, including strawberries, suffer from errors in crop rotation. Only legumes can grow in the same place for many years and always give a good harvest, which is due to their feature - the accumulation of nitrogen at the tips of the roots.

The importance of crop rotation

It is necessary to observe a reasonable rotation of crops when placing them in the beds. This event allows you to prevent the occurrence of serious problems in the process of cultivating plants on your personal plot.

The main goals of the gardening event:

• increasing soil fertility and rational use of nutrient reserves;
• increase in harvest volume;
• prevention of pest attacks and diseases;
• reducing the risk of water and wind erosion.

Continuous sowing is not the best solution. If a certain crop is constantly grown in one area, the volume will decrease and the type of fruit will suffer.

When can you start planting crops after strawberries?

Strawberries require careful attention to themselves. Only with regular care does it produce abundant harvests. Proper agricultural technology for growing a berry garden also involves timely replanting. Strawberries are able to bear fruit without loss of varietal qualities (yield, fruit size) for 4-5 seasons.

If you give the land time to rest, the harvests will be abundant. For this purpose, a steam field is organized. The soil is treated with herbicides against weeds, and nutritional complexes are laid. Nothing is grown on the plot for the entire next season. During this time, humus is mineralized and nutrients become available for absorption by plants. But if necessary, you can plant other crops right away.

Crop rotation tasks

Rotation of crops is necessary to increase soil fertility and prevent the development of diseases and the proliferation of pests. The correct combination of crops, selection of the best predecessors, and determination of the optimal period for strawberries to grow in one place will lead to an increase in yield and an improvement in the taste of the berries.

When growing strawberries, planting legumes and cereals as precursors is of great importance. They serve as green manure, promoting the formation of a fine-clump structure, accumulating a large amount of organic matter in the soil, enriching poor soil with nitrogen.

Strawberries need not only self-care, but also certain measures after their removal, since the soil after such plants is severely depleted . Such a berry is considered a plant that can bear fruit in one place for no more than four seasons, and then it must be replanted.

The right decision would be to give the earth time to rest. In such situations, a steam field . The soil is treated to remove weeds, fertilizer components are added, and nothing is planted in these places for a whole season. During this time, humus is mineralized, and nutritional elements take on forms that can be absorbed.

Steam field

One of the technology options may be sederal steam . In the spring season, the plot is sown with mustard, alfalfa, rapeseed, oats, and rye. All these crops are characterized by a large vegetative mass. As soon as the first month of summer comes to an end, the crop should be plowed.

With this measure, you will increase the humus content in the soil and solve the problem of adding manure or river silt, because such procedures are always costly in terms of money and free time. The introduced components will saturate the soil composition with organic matter and nitrogen.

Planting saddle crops will help saturate the soil with humus

The soil still retains heat, but already contains a sufficient amount of moisture. Work should be carried out on a cloudy day or in the evening. This will increase the percentage of plant survival, tolerate stress, make it easier to acclimatize, and reduce losses among planting material.

To preserve the roots, the bushes must be planted with a ball of earth.

Plants must be planted by lowering the root system vertically . It is prohibited to bend or twist it, or place it horizontally. The strawberries are sprinkled with earth to the core, the soil is slightly compacted. The hole is watered and mulched with crushed pine bark. Instead, it is allowed to use fertile dry soil.

Video: What can you plant after strawberries in the spring? April 2, 2022 Quarantine

What should you plant?

There is a list of crops that should be planted after strawberries. Even when planted the next year, they will demonstrate high yields.

Technology for growing strawberries in open ground

• Legumes (peas, soybeans, beans). Strawberries remove nitrogen compounds from the soil. And these crops do not need it at all due to their ability to accumulate and release nitrogen from the incoming air. Nodule bacteria, which are located at the tips of the roots, are responsible for this. When sowing legumes after strawberries, within a year the soil will be well saturated with nitrogen.
• Root vegetables, leafy vegetables, melons. Thanks to their shallow root systems, they are not affected by the harmful organisms that attack strawberries. They can easily occupy the areas vacated by the berry garden, but only after digging up the earth and laying down mineral fertilizers and organic matter. After strawberries, onions or garlic are planted as plants that have a detrimental effect on fungal spores and other pathogenic organisms, disinfecting the soil.
• Green manure. Green manure crops are plants whose cultivation purpose is to improve the soil composition and soil structure. They also have a second name that fully corresponds to their purpose - green fertilizers. Lupine, mustard, phacelia, and alfalfa are sown immediately after processing the strawberry bed. Plants quickly build up vegetative mass - in mid-summer it is mowed down and embedded in the soil. This is the preparation of soil for the placement of other crops.
• Cereals (oats, rye). They can also act as green fertilizers and restore soil microflora. Oats are responsible for saturating the earth with potassium. Thanks to this, after a few years, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants will bear fruit perfectly in the place of the berry garden. If you sow rye after the strawberry bushes. It inhibits weeds, and soon specialized strawberry pests disappear. After a season, you can place vegetable beds with tomatoes and zucchini. If the earth has become more alkaline, you should give preference to buckwheat. The latter will increase acidity and enrich in phosphates.
• Flowers. In the place where the strawberries grew, a front garden is organized in the first year after transplantation. Planting bulbous plants (tulips, daffodils, crocuses) allows you to delight the eye with beautiful blooms next spring. Peonies and daffodils are good options. Their abundant flowering will impress.

Note: If you cultivate strawberries on your plot for a long time, you should not count on a rich harvest of vegetables in the near future.

Why do you need to follow the rules of crop rotation?

For each crop, regardless of whether it is strawberries, potatoes or any other, the requirements for the composition and structure of the soil will be different. This is because different plants have different resistance to weeds, infections or pests. To ensure the normal composition and fertility of the soil, you need to correctly alternate plants, know and follow the rules of crop rotation, then you can get good harvests, regardless of whether you are growing potatoes, onions, strawberries or any other plant.

If you do not alternate plantings, this leads to depletion of the soil, diseases begin to spread in it, and the number of weeds and pests increases.

For all plants, it is necessary to follow the rules of crop rotation, the only exception being legumes, since they can give excellent results in one place for many years.

To correctly follow the rules of crop rotation, you must adhere to the following rules:

• You need to alternate plants depending on what part of them is used for food, so in this case it is better to plant root vegetables or greens;
• Strawberries, like raspberries, rose hips or wild strawberries, belong to the Rosaceae family, so these plants cannot be alternated with each other. These plants love loose soil, which is rich in microelements, nitrogen and potassium;
• after it, it is better to plant plants that help restore the balance of potassium and nitrogen in the soil;
• This plant has a deep root system, so after it it is necessary to plant crops that have a superficial root system.

For which plants is strawberry a bad predecessor?

The following plants should not be grown in strawberry beds:

• raspberries;
• hawthorn;
• rose hip;
• Rowan.

Raspberries are susceptible to the same diseases as strawberries. And depleted soil will not be able to ensure normal rooting of seedlings and ensure full growth. Potatoes and tomatoes suffer from diseases similar to strawberries.

Planting these plants after the berry garden will not bring results.

Important! Plants of the Rosaceae family cannot be planted after strawberries.

Dangerous predecessors of strawberries

• Common pests and diseases in strawberries and nightshade crops. That is, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers can be safely included in the list of crops after which strawberries should under no circumstances be planted.
• After the raspberry garden, it’s also not worth cultivating strawberry beds. The root shoots of the shrub will make themselves felt throughout the first year. The second reason is that the weevil, which was harming raspberries, will now feast on strawberries.
• It is not recommended to plant strawberries after sunflowers. It depletes the soil and cannot be avoided without the influence of green manure plants.
• Bad predecessors: fennel, cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers.

Adviсe

Tip 1

In the garden bed where the strawberries grew, it is recommended to create a fallow field - a field free from cultivated crops. The soil is cleared of weeds, dug up and fertilized. In the spring, this field can be sown with grain, and in mid-summer it can be dug up along with the grown grass. The soil will be saturated with nitrogen, and humus will form in it.

Tip 2

Experienced gardeners often plant carrots after strawberries. The fact is that nematodes remain in the soil after strawberries, which are not harmful to carrots.

After what should you plant strawberry bushes?

The berry feels quite comfortable, grows well and fully develops after many vegetable crops. Keep in mind that crop rotation is very important, but you will still have to adapt the bed for planting.

Garden strawberries grow well after legumes. This option is considered preferable if it is planned to form beds in the fall, because the crop from the predecessor crop is harvested in the summer, so the soil will not stand idle. Strawberries can be planted after any greens (including mint), radishes, carrots, garlic or onions.

Answers to frequently asked questions

How often do you need to replant strawberries to a new location? It is recommended to replant strawberries every 3-4 years. It is during these years that it bears fruit best, then the yield begins to decline, the berries become smaller and become less sweet. Having seen such signs of degeneration, you need to consider a transplant.

When can you plant strawberries in their old place? Planting strawberries in the same area is possible only after 5 years. This time will be enough to restore fertility and the required soil balance.

What can you plant after strawberries?

Garden strawberries not only taste good, but are also healthy. It contains pectic and nitrous acids and fiber. To cover the body's daily need for vitamin C, you need to eat 80 g of berries. It becomes so nutritious thanks to its highly branched root system. Through it, strawberries take away useful substances from the top layer of the earth, thereby depleting it. Garden strawberries are loved not only by humans, but also by various harmful microorganisms. Diseases and pests are also dangerous for the entire Rosaceae family: rose hips, raspberries, rowan.

All this must be taken into account when planting shrubs, trees and vegetables in place of strawberries.

After harvesting the berry bushes, it is better to let the soil rest and recover. For these purposes, green manure is planted . This is the name of green fertilizers grown to improve the texture of the soil, enrich it with nitrogen, proteins and get rid of weeds. Such fertilizers include:

• cereals,
• mustard,
• alfalfa and rapeseed.

Garlic and onions are planted to destroy the remaining harmful organisms from the berries. These cultures have antimicrobial properties. They disinfect the soil, thereby ensuring the healthy growth of subsequent plants. Parsley, cilantro, and celery are sown between the rows and along the perimeter. Pests cannot tolerate the aroma emanating from them.

Greenery will also help repel slugs. Umbrella root vegetable - carrots do not have the same pests as garden strawberries. In addition, its roots are fed from the lower layers of soil, not affected by the berry. Vegetable growers use this knowledge and obtain high yields of root crops by growing them after garden strawberries. You can also plant pumpkin plants in the vacant bed:

• cucumber,
• melon,
• pumpkin

It is still better to pre-prepare the soil for these vegetables by adding fertilizer.

Sunflower grown after berry bushes will not only produce a rich harvest of seeds, but will also attract small birds that will help exterminate harmful insects. After garden strawberries, the soil is poor in nitrogen content. Legumes restore it:

• peas,
• beans,
• soybean,
• peanut.

Their roots contain bacteria that fix nitrogen from the air and produce nitrogen-containing compounds. In agronomy, legumes are the main plants for restoring lands that have lost fertility.

If the space allows, you can make a flower bed in the garden. Peonies, tulips, lilies, petunias are good followers of the Rosaceae family. Gardeners also plant night violet; it is not only beautiful, but also emits a pleasant smell.

Is it possible to plant strawberries after tomatoes?

How and when to replant strawberries?

Strawberries can be replanted throughout the season. In spring, it is necessary to replant in April, before flowering begins. To replant, you need to select healthy plants and dig them up by the roots. Dig deep holes for them and pour about 10 cm of sand on the bottom to protect the roots during frequent watering. Plant deeply, but do not cover the growing point; it should be above the surface of the earth, but not too raised. Water well, and you can feed only after two weeks, when the plants have taken root. In summer, strawberries are replanted after fruiting. It is best to replant in the fall, in September. Young plants have time to take root and grow a good rosette of leaves, which helps the plants to overwinter without problems.

What can you plant with cucumbers in a greenhouse?

Watermelons, melons, zucchini, carrots, onions, radishes, cabbage, and legumes like the same conditions, humidity and air temperature. These crops love humidity and warmth, just like cucumbers. You cannot plant tomatoes or aromatic herbs (except parsley and dill).

When is the right time to plant strawberries to get a good harvest?

For a good harvest, the plant needs a developed root system, which should be taken into account when choosing the time of planting. In early-ripening strawberry varieties, the root system begins to actively develop when the temperature drops below +20 degrees.

For central regions this occurs at the end of August-September. Then it’s better to start planting. Before frost, the bushes will have time to form and grow dense, leathery leaves before wintering.

It makes sense to plant late or remontant strawberries in the spring in April-May. The first flower stalks are cut off, then in August you can expect the first harvest.

What to add to the hole when planting cabbage in open ground?

When planting cabbage in a hole, you must add:

Fertile soil or compost. They are the ones who are able to ensure better survival of the young plant at first. Also, a fertile substrate contributes to long-term nutrition of an already grown plant.

Lime or chalk. These components help resist clubroot, a very dangerous disease that is very common in plants of the cabbage group.

You can purchase high-quality seedlings of various varieties and types of cabbage here.

You can’t ignore what you don’t need to bring into the hole. It is very undesirable to apply mineral fertilizers and manure during planting of seedlings. Mineral fertilizers can severely burn the tender roots of young shoots. It is better to use them later, as top dressing. Manure, if fresh, can also burn the roots. But even rotted ones are dangerous because they can easily introduce weed seeds and pathogens.

source

Why is crop rotation needed?

The strawberry bed produces its maximum yield 2-3 years after planting. You can achieve a good harvest even at 4, if after fruiting you remove all the tendrils discarded by the strawberry bushes, and also feed the strawberry bed correctly and on time. This requires some experience, a lot of time and effort, and as a result, the strawberries still need to be replanted.

The reason is that a strawberry bed greatly depletes the soil. In addition, like any crop, strawberries are capable of accumulating harmful bacteria, fungi and other pathogens in the soil over time. All taken together causes a sharp decline in yield.

To obtain consistently high yields of both strawberries and other crops, you need to adhere to crop rotation - alternating different crops on a plot of land in a certain order. Each of the planted crops takes the nutrients and microelements it needs from the soil, leaving those not needed untouched.

If you plant crops in the right order, you can significantly increase their yield - this is the essence of crop rotation. Crop rotation is considered scientifically justified when crops of the same type return to their original place after 6 (six-field) or 10 (ten-field) years. The problem is that organizing such a complete crop rotation on a plot of 10-15 acres, if 1.5-2 dozen crops are grown on it, is not so easy.

But if it is impossible to organize a scientifically based crop rotation, then you can use centuries-old folk experience and alternate the crops grown in your garden, following a simple rule: do not plant crops with the same productive area after each other. For example, you cannot plant root crops after root crops, fruit crops after fruit crops, deciduous crops after deciduous crops, etc.

Features of beet crop rotation

Beetroot is an easy-to-grow crop; it is grown everywhere and in a variety of conditions . However, there are a number of features that must be taken into account when cultivating root crops in order to obtain a rich and high-quality harvest.

Basic requirements of agricultural cultivation technology:

1. The area for beds for root crops is located in a sunny place. This determines how bright, sweet and large the vegetable will grow.
2. No less important for beets is the level of soil acidity - in acidic soil the vegetable develops poorly, its flesh turns black. If there is an excess of lime, the plant weakens and is affected by scab. For full growth and development of root crops, the soil pH should be 6.5-7.
3. Most of all, beets require moisture during the period of rooting seedlings or seed germination (depending on the planting method). During root development, moderate watering is required. Closer to harvesting, watering is reduced - excess moisture will lead to rotting of the fruits in the ground.
4. The ideal soil for beets is loam with humus - medium-density soil. On heavy clay soil, it will be difficult for the root crop to gain weight, and in excessively light sandy loam soils, the vegetable will not receive the required amount of nutrients, since they will constantly be washed into deeper layers by rain and watering.
5. For the full development of the root crop, an area of ​​at least 9x9 cm per unit is needed.

It can be useful:

Beets grow poorly - how to feed them

How, when and what to feed beets in July-August

Why do beet leaves turn red?

Grass crop rotation for strawberries

To organize strawberry crop rotation on your site, use the experience of dividing the occupied area into 6 parts. Occupy one of them annually with green manure plants. Vetch is especially effective:

• Apply organic fertilizer in spring;
• dig deeply into the selected part of the earth;
• level the area;
• sow green manure approximately 5 cm deep in a ratio of 17 g/1 sq. m;
• in the summer, as soon as the plant blooms, mow it;
• leave to dry on the ground for several days, then dig into the ground;
• Level the area again and sow winter rye at a rate of 13 g/1 sq. m;
• in November, mow the rye and thoroughly dig up part of the site.

In spring, plant potatoes in the usual way. From the third season, strawberries can grow in this place. Two-year restoration allows you to occupy 4 of the 6 parts of the plot with strawberries, and grow useful and productive crops on the rest.

Strawberries in the garden require care. The correct agricultural technology for land restoration will help you always have a tasty berry harvest.

Why is crop rotation needed?

The importance of crop rotation lies in the rational use of land and the soil’s replenishment of its natural reserves. Different crops consume different compositions of nutrients from the fertile layer. Strawberries are demanding of organic matter and loose and fertilized soil.

The soil must have a sufficient amount of nitrogen, potassium and trace elements.

Each type of plant has its own requirements for the looseness of the arable layer, density, structure and structure. Also, the reason for the necessary crop rotation is considered to be the unequal attitude of cultivated plants to weeds and to diseases and pests. If strawberries have their own pests, then carrots have completely different ones.

The proximity of strawberries to other crops

Having found out which crops can be planted after strawberries, the question arises: next to which crops can they be planted? After all, no one has canceled the rules of neighborhood in the garden:

1. Crops that differ in watering frequency should not grow nearby.
2. There should be no vegetables in the neighborhood that love the same nutritional elements as the berry.
3. Neighboring crops should not have common pests and ailments.

Strawberry beds can be compacted in the first two years. Root parsley and radishes are suitable. Radishes, beets and other root vegetables will grow well in neighboring beds.

Strawberries feel good next to a flower garden where clematis, peonies, and marigolds grow. They attract bees, which will pollinate the plants, and also repel pests.

How to choose “post-strawberry” crops?

Strawberries have a productive area - the berry. According to the above scheme, after it you can plant root vegetables or leafy crops: salads, parsley, onions, etc. This general recommendation is generally correct, but in practice it is a little more complicated.

Strawberry roots penetrate deep into the soil and take almost all the nitrogen out of it in 2-3 years. This must be taken into account when choosing. If you plant potatoes or cabbage after strawberries, you should not expect a good harvest.

But by planting legumes after it: beans, peas, beans or lentils, you can not only get a good harvest, but also replenish nitrogen reserves in the soil. After legumes, almost any crops can be planted on the site, with the exception of those sensitive to excess nitrogen in the soil.

Therefore, when deciding what to plant after strawberries, gardeners usually choose root crops or legumes. For example, having dug up strawberry bushes, they dig up the ground, and the next year in the spring they plant cucumbers, pumpkins or zucchini, and a year later - onions or radishes with turnips.

It is noteworthy that legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen, so after peas, lentils, beans, garlic and onions, you can plant any crops, even cabbage, which is extremely sensitive to the nitrogen content in the soil.

Although most would consider such a statement unscientific, based on personal experience I can say that after legumes, you can even plant strawberries the next year. In my place, strawberries grow for up to 10 years. Such longevity is achieved simply: strips of strawberries 80-90 cm wide (40-45 cm - last year's plantings and next to the same width - the year before) are separated by dug-up strips 40-45 cm wide, on which peas and beans are planted.

Both of these crops are harvested early - the second half of July-August. At this time, the strawberries are already throwing out their tendrils-cuttings. Some of these cuttings die during the pea and bean harvest, but most take root safely and enter the winter as well-developed strawberry bushes.

In the second half of October, I dig up the plantings from the year before last, at the same time removing all the rhizomes of weeds and all strawberry bushes without exception in the dug up strips and adding humus (at the rate of 3-4 buckets per 10 sq.m.) Peas will be planted on these dug up strips next spring and beans.

There is another trick to growing strawberries in one place for a long time. I plant not only legumes on the dug up strips; I always plant two rows of garlic along their edges. The harvest from such plantings is not good, but garlic phytoncides do a good job of repelling most pests from the strawberry bed, preventing their larvae from accumulating in the soil.

Neighbors: What to plant next to strawberries

Good neighbors:

• Nasturtium has a beneficial effect on strawberries - it attracts aphids, protecting berry crops from them.
• Growing strawberries and garlic in mixed crops saves space and protects the berries from gray rot.

Unfavorable neighborhood:

• Raspberries and strawberries planted next to each other will suffer from the weevil, which usually affects both crops.
• Common diseases are also inherent in strawberries, sea buckthorn and nightshade vegetables; it is better not to plant them in the area next to strawberries.