Garden strawberry Marmalade - bright appearance and wonderful taste

How are wild strawberries different from strawberries?

The tasty and healthy berry grown in our gardens and called strawberries is actually a garden strawberry. Confusion with names began in the 18th century due to the similarity of the berries and their taste. Large-fruited varieties of garden strawberries are now grown in gardens, but strawberries are practically not found.

Table: differences between garden strawberries and strawberries

Another difference is the easy separation of the garden strawberry from the stalk. Strawberries have stronger berries.

Photo gallery: external differences between garden strawberries and strawberries

Strawberries are smaller than strawberries

strawberry bush

Garden strawberries are famous for their productivity

Garden strawberry bush

History of the Marmalade variety

The name Marmalade is bright and very memorable in a summer way, and the variety itself is distinguished by the size of its berries, taste and unpretentiousness.

The variety was bred by Italian breeders. Obtained in 1989 from crossing the Holiday and Gorella varieties.

The Italians call it Marmolada and consider the variety to be very promising.

The Italians call the variety Marmolada

Marmalade garden strawberries are suitable for growing in continental climates. Favorable places for its breeding are central Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Crimea and Kherson region are ideal. In the northernmost areas of the Moscow region you will feel worse.

Description of strawberry marmalade

The bush is compact, medium-sized, with raised dark green leaves. Gives a lot of whiskers. The peduncle is located at the level of the foliage or slightly higher, thick and tall. The inflorescences are multi-flowered, powerful, directed upward. Flowering is intense.

Marmalade has a compact bush with raised leaves

The fruits are large - from 25 to 30 grams, some reach a weight of 40 grams. The berries are conical, shiny, colored a uniform red color of medium intensity. The ripening of the berry begins with the stalk, so the tip, even when fully ripe, can sometimes remain white. The sepals are bright green. The fruits may have a slightly bumpy surface. The stalk is easily separated from the berry.

Strawberry Marmalade is famous for its large fruits

The pulp is red, juicy. Quite dense. There are small cavities inside. The berry is sweet, with a slight sourness. The aroma is pronounced.

Table: advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Characteristics

The general characteristics of the Marmalade variety are clearly presented in the table:

Planting and care

Choosing a place and preparing the soil

In order for Marmalade to produce a high yield, you need to choose the right site:

• The landing site should be well lit by the sun. The ideal location is southern and southwestern areas with a slight slope of 1 - 3°;
• the site should be protected from cold northern winds, but at the same time have good ventilation. If the place is damp, without ventilation, garden strawberries will easily pick up fungal diseases.

• Areas with high groundwater should be avoided. The permissible level is 80 cm from the ground surface. If you plan to plant Marmalade in low-lying areas where there is a risk of flooding, then in this case you will have to build high beds;
• Marmelada prefers light and neutral soils with a pH level of 5.5 - 6.5. On acidic soils, the soil is limed before planting;

Excellent yields will be obtained on podzolized chernozem soils and on light dark gray forest soils.

• garden strawberries love fertile lands.

The soil fertility indicator can be easily determined by the following characteristics: areas where nettles and woodlice grow are saturated with nitrogen and do not require the addition of nitrogen fertilizers. White clover grows in nutrient-poor soils. Coltsfoot, horse sorrel and horsetail are indicators of heavy soil that needs to be diluted with sand.

The landing site should be sunny and protected from cold winds

We prepare the selected area as follows:

• We dig up the area and clear it of weeds and old plants. The easiest way to do this is with a pitchfork;
• For each square meter we add a bucket of compost or completely rotted manure, as well as 50 g of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, 100 g of magnesium fertilizers and 50 g of superphosphate. To reduce the cost of purchasing fertilizers, we apply them directly to the beds or into the planting hole.

It is good if, before planting, garlic and onions, legumes, leafy vegetables, and root vegetables grew in the prepared area. Potatoes and tomatoes are undesirable, since garden strawberries share common diseases and pests with these plants, and in addition, these vegetables greatly deplete the soil. Do not plant young seedlings in a place cleared of old strawberries.

Strawberries can only be planted in the old place after 3 years.

Video: blooming marmalade

Boarding time

Strawberries are planted in spring and autumn. However, the most suitable time for planting Marmalade garden strawberries is considered to be early autumn. Deadlines: from the second ten days of August and no later than mid-September. Marmalade planted at this time will have time to take root before the first frost and will delight you with a harvest the next season.

The timing of spring planting is from the third ten days of April to mid-May. If you plant garden strawberries in the spring, you will not get a harvest by summer. But Marmalade is guaranteed to take root and get stronger for the coming winter, and in the summer you will reap an excellent harvest of aromatic berries. It is best to pick off the first flowers of garden strawberries that are planted in the spring. This will allow the plant to retain strength for further development.

Garden strawberries should be planted on a cloudy day or in the afternoon, towards evening. The afternoon sun will not be able to harm the seedlings, and the coolness of the evening will help the roots better settle into their new place.

Planting scheme

When planting Marmalade strawberries, we use the following scheme - row spacing at a distance of 50 centimeters from each other, seedlings are planted in the garden bed every 35 - 40 centimeters. Due to the large number of peduncles, the plant needs more space, and the root system will have the opportunity to develop freely.

Marmalade requires enough free space for normal development.

The hole for seedlings should be deep enough so that the roots are located vertically.

Step-by-step process for planting Marmalade:

1. We pour the necessary fertilizers into the hole (unless you immediately applied them to the beds) and moisten them well.
2. Seedlings can be treated in an antifungal solution (Fundazol), and then immediately washed with water.
3. The root of the seedling should be 7 centimeters in length. If it is longer, cut it to size.
4. When planting, make sure that the growing point from which the leaves appear does not go deep into the ground.
5. Lightly compact the soil around the plant, but not too much; the roots should have access to oxygen.
6. Drizzle the marmalade well.
7. After watering, to avoid rapid drying out of the soil, mulch with dry soil or humus.

It is important to know that Marmalade strawberries produce good yields in the second year after planting. In the fourth year, the yield drops significantly. Therefore, it is best to replant it to a new place every 4 years.

Table: watering Marmalade

Strawberries love irrigation. Grows especially well with drip irrigation.

Water for watering strawberries should be warm and settled.

Marmalade responds especially well to drip irrigation

Table: fertilizing

When applying fertilizers, it is important not to overfeed the strawberries. This is especially true for nitrogen fertilizers - the plant will begin to increase leaf mass, and fruit buds will be poorly formed.

If all the necessary fertilizers are applied during planting, then fertilizing is not necessary in the first year.

Strawberry care

In addition to watering and fertilizing, strawberries need regular loosening of the soil, especially after watering. This procedure helps maintain good air circulation and avoid the formation of crust on the soil. During loosening, weeds should be removed.

After loosening, you can mulch the ground with straw or sawdust. This will prevent the soil from drying out quickly and slow down the growth of weeds. Mulch also prevents damage to the berries.

To obtain a higher yield, the growing mustache should be trimmed. They take extra strength and nutrition from garden strawberries.

Mulching garden strawberries will help retain moisture in the soil longer

Growing under film

If you grow Marmalade under cover, you can get the harvest 2 weeks earlier. To do this, at the end of March or beginning of April, after the snow has melted, cover the beds with film. For a greenhouse, we first build a frame (it can be iron or plastic arches or a box made of boards), and then we lay plastic film on it. You need to make sure that it is tensioned evenly and does not sag. The film is secured on the sides with bricks or earth.

On sunny days, the greenhouse needs to be ventilated by raising one side. When flowering begins, open the sides of the greenhouse so as not to interfere with the pollination process. When the berries appear, remove the film.

The greenhouse will help you get the harvest 2 weeks earlier

Video: caring for garden strawberries after harvest

Preparing Marmalade strawberries for winter

The Marmalade variety is declared as winter-hardy and frost-resistant, but it is still worth taking care of the shelter. With good snow cover, strawberries will survive frost of -30°C. But if a thaw suddenly occurs, followed by frost again, then garden strawberries will freeze without shelter.

The best protection against frost is healthy foliage and the absence of diseases and pests. We begin preparations in mid-August:

1. Loosen the soil in the rows to a depth of 15 cm, and around the bush to a depth of 3–4 cm.
2. Remove diseased leaves.
3. Water the beds with a weak solution of copper sulfate, manganese or Maxim to prevent the development of diseases.
4. Be sure to hill up the beds and mulch them immediately. Hill up carefully so as not to harm the roots.
5. Don't forget about the necessary fertilizing. Nitrogen fertilizers must be applied before September.
6. To cover strawberries, straw, fallen leaves, spruce branches, pine needles, sawdust, corn stalks and cob leaves, film or agrofibre are used.

Marmalade is a winter-hardy variety, but it’s still worth taking care of the shelter

When choosing a shelter, it is worth considering some nuances. Pathogenic microflora can develop under the film, and in the spring the larvae of the cockchafer or weevil will find refuge there. Straw can become a hiding place for field mice, which will certainly spoil the roots of garden strawberries. Rotting needles will increase the acidity of the soil, which is not good for Marmalade. The foliage is very caked. An ideal option would be sawdust or wood cuttings.

Features of crop cultivation

To grow strawberries of the Marmeladka variety, warm climatic conditions are needed. It is best to choose a site with neutral soil and constant access to sun. Where the soil is acidic, it is not recommended to plant the variety; lime should be added before planting, otherwise the yield will decrease.

Strawberry First-grader - description of the variety

It is better to plant strawberries in places where lettuce, carrots, beets or cucumbers previously grew. It is not recommended to use soil after nightshade crops such as tomatoes or potatoes, because they greatly deplete the soil.

The most successful time for planting Marmaladka strawberries is the second half of August. The plant will be able to adapt well and get stronger before the upcoming winter. The first fruits will appear next year.

Before planting, you need to prepare the beds, apply nutritious fertilizers and dig up the soil. Humus or peat are suitable as top dressing. 1 bucket per m² is enough.

Note! Bushes should be planted keeping a distance of 35-40 cm between them, since the plant is spreading and needs space to grow.

The holes need to be dug so that the strawberry roots fit completely into it and feel free. The root system is covered with soil in such a way that there is air access; there is no need to compact the soil. You need to water for 3 days, then rooting will happen much faster.

Reproduction

You can propagate Marmalade strawberries in 3 ways.

With the help of a mustache

The most popular and natural is propagation using a mustache. Moreover, Marmalada provides a lot of planting material. The first 2 tendrils from the mother bush are rooted, and the ones following them are removed.

Marmalade provides a lot of planting material

1. The selected mustaches are rooted nearby in the garden bed or in a separate small pot immediately after fruiting is completed.
2. It is best to root directly into a pot, this will make it easy to transfer the young plant to a permanent place.
3. At the end of August or beginning of September, the rooted mustaches are planted in prepared beds.

To get a sufficient number of healthy and strong mustaches, experienced gardeners start a separate bed. Flower stalks are cut off from plants to avoid the formation of berries. In this case, strawberries will devote all their efforts to the formation of high-quality planting material.

Method of dividing the bush

Dividing the bush. This method is usually used if you urgently need to move strawberries to a new place or if there is not enough mustache. You can divide the bush if it has reached 3–4 years of age.

1. A healthy bush is divided by hand or using a sharp knife into as many parts as possible. The main condition is that there are roots on each part.
2. It is best to cut off the old, dark roots, leaving the young, light ones. This method of propagation is carried out from spring to August so that the root system has time to recover.
3. The planted part of the bush must be regularly hilled - this promotes the formation of the root system. But do not cover the growing point with soil, otherwise the plant will die.

Propagation by seeds

It is best to purchase seeds in a specialized store.

1. Before sowing, it is recommended to soak the seeds in melt or rain water for 3 days, changing the water twice a day.
2. Make an earthen mixture, which should be very loose. To do this, mix humus, peat, sand and black soil in equal parts.
3. Then remove the seeds from the water and warm them on a radiator or on a sunny windowsill for 7 hours at a temperature of 35°C.
4. The seeds are planted in well-moistened soil to a depth of half a centimeter.
5. Cover with glass or film and place in a room with a temperature of up to 25°C for 8–12 days.
6. Ventilate once a day.
7. You can moisten the soil with snow, spreading it on the surface, or using a spray bottle. It is not worth watering from a watering can; the seeds are too small and can be washed out of the soil.
8. When two leaves appear, dive into separate pots.
9. At the end of May, hardened seedlings can be planted.

Garden strawberry seedlings grown from seeds

A young plant grown from a seed may not transfer all the properties of the mother bush.

Secrets of cultivation

It is difficult to consider the description of the Marmalade strawberry complete without mentioning its cultivation. To get a royal harvest, follow these rules:

When choosing a location, choose sunny areas with acid-neutral soil. If in the past eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes grew here, then it is better to postpone planting Marmalade. Most likely, the soil will be severely depleted, and the strawberries will not please you with ovaries.

The optimal distance between neighboring bushes is 30 cm. Row spacing should not be less than 50 cm. Only if there is free space will the plant feel good.

The variety is characterized by medium bevel formation. The mustache is trimmed after the crop bears fruit.

The determining factor in rapid growth is moderate watering and loosening. If there is insufficient humidity, there is a risk of getting unpalatable berries. And when flooded, gray rot can develop.

Before planting and at the beginning of the growing season, apply mineral fertilizers (with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus) or organic matter.

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Table: diseases and pests characteristic of the Marmalade variety

Photo gallery: diseases and pests affecting Marmalade

Snails love to feast on garden strawberries

Slugs can seriously damage crops

Strawberry mite slows down the growth of strawberry bushes

Strawberry leaf affected by white spot

Brown spot on strawberry leaf

Gray rot affects berries and other parts of the plant

Productivity

The greatest productivity occurs in the second year of fruiting, so for commercial cultivation, plantings are renewed every two years. On industrial plantations, the yield per hectare can be:

• first year – 5 tons;
• second year - 25 tons;
• third year - 12 tons.

From one bush you can get from 700 g to 1 kg of berries

Harvest and storage

Delicious jam is one way to enjoy strawberry flavor in winter

June has arrived - the time for sweet berries to ripen. Harvesting is done manually, at intervals of 1–3 days. The berry is removed from the bush along with the stalk, so it is stored longer and does not lose juice. Prepare several containers for collection at once. Place berries in one for storage in the refrigerator, in another for processing or freezing, and in the third for eating. The berries collected in this way will not have to be transferred several times, which will help maintain its integrity and extend its shelf life.

Of course, it is best to eat the berries fresh while they contain a lot of vitamins and microelements. But sometimes a good harvest makes you think about options that increase the shelf life of garden strawberries. You can do this in several ways:

1. For better preservation in the refrigerator, berries should be kept in low and flat cardboard or wooden containers, laid in 2 - 3 layers, but no more. Do not wash strawberries before storing them in the refrigerator. Do not close containers tightly. The shelf life of berries at temperatures from 0 to 2°C is about 5 days. At 6°C - 3 days.
2. Frozen strawberries can be stored for up to six months. Berries prepared for freezing are washed and laid out on napkins to dry. It is better to remove the stalk after defrosting. The dried berries are placed on a tray and sent to the freezer, preferably with a temperature of -25 to -35°C. After freezing, the berries are packaged in bags and stored at a temperature of -12°C. Do not repeat the freezing procedure, after which the berries will simply spread.
3. Marmalade also makes wonderful jams and confitures, preserves, compotes, berries mashed with sugar, purees, and candied fruits.

Marmalade makes wonderful candied fruits

Reviews

Tatyana, 41 years old, Rostov region.

My mother-in-law complains that Marmolada’s taste is too simple, “without zest,” and sour. I think she's just in a hurry and picks it unripe. When the berries turn dark red, then they are very sweet and aromatic. My sister grows it in the Krasnodar region, and everyone there is delighted with Marmeladka: it’s beautiful, productive, and rarely gets sick. Maybe it's also a matter of climate and soil.

Boris, 49 years old, Dnepr

Our variety performed well. All the bushes planted last year overwintered well under straw and this season produced a bountiful harvest of large, beautiful berries. Unlike many industrial varieties, strawberries are not “oaky” or tasteless. It begins to ripen closer to mid-June. It likes watering, the leaves wither in the heat, but the berries hardly bake, they just become less juicy. His mustache is rather poor, so we will leave everything to expand our plantation.

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Irina, 53 years old, Ufa

These strawberries are good only for long-term storage: they can be dried or frozen, or prepared as candied fruits. Eating it like that is no pleasure. Marmalade reminds me of Dutch tomatoes: beautiful in appearance, but without taste or smell.