Renovating the strawberries

Winter is approaching and our first frost date has come and gone without any frost to speak of. It is time to get our perennials prepared for the cold dark winter ahead. For our strawberries and asparagus, that means cutting them back and insulating them with a loose covering of straw or mulch.

This year’s strawberry production was abundant and they reproduced new plants so rapidly that it made the strawberry pyramid look like a jungle. Cutting back the overgrown plants to about two inches revealed a shadowy underworld of spiders and slug among other creepy crawlies. Once cut, the newer plants were plucked out to be rehomed in the blueberry patch along the front retaining wall. We have high hopes for more berries next year along with some asparagus.