Last year, my son Jake had this exciting idea to plant strawberries. Strawberries grow in these amazing crowns, and as they grow, they start producing these beautiful flowers that lead to the delicious strawberries we love. And guess what? They also produce these runners that can grow into their own little strawberry plants!
So, we decided to plant 20 strawberry plants in a raised bed that’s about 30 feet by 5 feet. It looked a bit bare last year, but now it’s bursting with life! Last year, we had so many runners root that we ended up with a whole new strawberry patch.
Now, I live in a neighborhood, and my garden is not without its challenges. Birds, rabbits, and squirrels are always on the lookout for tasty treats, especially plants with fruit or seeds. They can be quite the plant-destroying pests!
To make sure we get our hands on some delicious strawberries, I’ve been using a netting to protect some of my plants that are more prone to attacks. It’s not a fancy project, but it’s been a lifesaver!
When planting strawberries, I always recommend a dedicated space. They can really spread out and take over an area if you don’t give them enough room.
As with most things in my garden, I’ve been creative and reused or upcycled materials to get the netting up. It wasn’t a project that required any fancy measurements or accuracy. It just needed to hold the net a little higher.
On the back of this raised bed, there’s a nice ledge. I built four “T”s to put across the ledge and then attached several 2x4s around the outside of the box. And voila! We were back in business.
If you’re interested in watching me put this project together, you can check out my YouTube video here. I’d love to share my little DIY project with you!