When to Pick Strawberries?

When gardeners hear the question: “When to pick strawberries?”, they are most likely to smile and give an unanimous answer: “You need to pick them when they are ripe!”. However, you should remember one thing: to get a bountiful harvest, you should know that there are nuances in this matter as well.

When Is the Best Time to Pick Strawberries?

Each strawberry variety has its own ripening period and each of them should be picked on time. How to determine just the right time?! It all depends on the local conditions and the weather in the current season. A berry is considered ripe when it is completely red (no green tips left). It still keeps its shape well and is not soft.

Pale-Coloured Strawberries Are Not to Be Harvested

When the ripening season of strawberries comes, they should be picked regularly: every other day, and if there are many beds or the weather is hot – then every day. You should not ignore the harvest, because strawberries do not bear fruit for long.

Strawberries should be picked together with the stalk. Use scissors to perform the procedure more accurately. You can cut almost near a berry or leave a long tail. After such harvesting, berries remain dry and it keeps them from spoiling.

You can sort the harvest immediately when picking. There are three sorting criteria: large, small and poor quality berry, which is still suitable for eating or freezing. The picked berries should be stored in flat containers (such as wooden or cardboard boxes) in no more than 2-3 layers. Buckets and cans are not suitable for this. Firstly, they do not have holes for ventilation, and secondly, strawberries crumple and drip quickly in them. Such berries are later suitable only for freezing.

Cardboard Box Is an Excellent Container for Storing Strawberries

Strawberries absorb moisture very well. And the more water they absorb, the faster they will start to spoil (especially when stored in a refrigerator). Garden strawberries should be washed only before sending to a freezer. When stored in a refrigerator, this is recommended to do immediately before eating berries.

Do Not Forget to Wash the Strawberries Before Sending Them to a Freezer!

Throw away mouldy berries, because mould spreads very quickly. Do not store strawberries in plastic containers, they do not allow air to reach the berries and they begin to spoil quickly.

Have a Bountiful Harvest!

FARMING ENTERPRISE “ECO BERRY”!