Strawberry Invasion

About 3 weeks into my, “Sure, I can do 4 websites this month” debacle, a gal I volunteer with at the Food Bank informs me she’s found some free strawberry plants that she can bring to me.

Seems a guy her hubby works with (about 30 miles east of me) has a strawberry patch he’s been trying to get rid of for three years – while he didn’t poison them, he did withhold water and any other kind of care, hoping they would graciously die and let him put in his sod lawn (I know, I know!  I nearly fainted too!  But his bad decision is my blessing!)

I wholeheartedly agree to taking the plants her and hubby were hired to ‘dig up and throw away’ – in the middle of one of my famous 20 hour work days, I receive a text:

“Hi – have about 300 strawberry plants – when do you want me to bring them?”

Gulp – 300!?!

Turns out the 300 was a bit exaggerated.   They saved every single runner/twig of plant and when all said and done between transport, buckets and laying on my lawn with a high protective shield of pine needles, I netted 74 strawberry plants and gave 15 to my boss.

Since I hadn’t geared up to start having dirt hauled in again, was under a time/budget crunch, I took the easy way out, bought some on-sale edging (both the plastic and rock kind) poked holes in the bottom of organic garden soil bags, ripped off the tops and planted the strawberries.

Last week, I carefully pushed back the pine needle mulch and planted spinach and 3 different kinds of lettuce around the edges of each bed – borage interplantings will follow along with some other companion plants –

All I’m hoping is these plants won’t keel over from love and attention – they obviously learned to thrive on neglect in the former home – –

Right under the pine tree, with good morning sun – so much for having to rake pine needles here – !

Tried the low-cost black edging from Lowes – easy to do, will let you know how long it lasts