Growing strawberries in a raised bed offers superior drainage and greater control over soil composition compared to traditional in-ground planting. The elevated structure prevents waterlogging, which commonly causes crown rot. Maximizing productivity in this limited space requires precise plant spacing, which depends on the strawberry type chosen. Proper spacing ensures high yields and adequate air circulation, preventing fungal diseases in high-density environments.
Selecting the Right Strawberry Type and Planting Method
The choice of strawberry type determines the appropriate planting system and required spacing. Strawberries are categorized into June-bearing and Day-neutral (or Everbearing) types, each having a distinct growth habit.
June-bearing varieties produce a single, heavy crop over two to three weeks in late spring or early summer. These plants are prolific producers of runners, which are horizontal stems that root to form new daughter plants. This heavy runner production makes them best suited for the Matted Row system. In this method, initial “mother” plants are set far apart, and their runners fill the space, creating a dense, continuous row.
Day-neutral and Everbearing types produce fruit continuously from spring until the first hard frost, generating far fewer runners. They thrive best in the Hill System, which focuses the plant’s energy entirely on fruit production. In this system, any developing runners are promptly removed, forcing the original plant to become a larger, multi-crowned specimen. The Hill System is preferred for smaller raised beds where maximizing individual plant yield is the priority.
Precise Spacing Guidelines for Raised Beds
Raised beds allow for denser planting than traditional rows because the soil is richer and drainage is excellent. Spacing must be tailored to the chosen system to prevent overcrowding.
Hill System Spacing
For the Hill System (Day-neutral and Everbearing varieties), space plants 10 to 12 inches apart in all directions. This provides each mother plant ample room to develop a robust, multi-crowned structure. If using multiple rows, use a staggered pattern, maintaining 12 to 15 inches between rows for better air circulation and easier harvesting. This dense spacing directs energy, conserved by removing runners, into continuous fruit production.
Matted Row Spacing
For the Matted Row system (June-bearing varieties), the initial spacing of the mother plants must be wider. Set primary plants 18 to 24 inches apart within the designated row area. The space between rows should allow runners to fill in, but the final row width should not exceed 18 inches. This prevents the development of a dense, unproductive mat.
Planting Depth
The precision of the planting depth is critical for survival and productivity. The crown, the central growing point where roots meet leaves, must be set exactly at the soil surface. Planting the crown too deeply risks rot, while planting it too shallowly can cause the roots to dry out and lead to poor establishment.
Essential Maintenance for High-Density Raised Beds
The concentrated planting density used in raised beds requires attentive management after the initial planting to ensure long-term health and fruit quality. Runner management is a continuous task, depending entirely on the system in use.
In the Hill System, all runners must be snipped off immediately upon appearance to ensure the plant’s resources remain dedicated to developing flowers and fruit. In the Matted Row system, the initial runners are allowed to root until the row reaches the desired 18-inch width. After this point, any subsequent runners must be thinned or removed to prevent the row from becoming a tangled, overcrowded mat of unproductive plants. Overcrowding reduces air circulation, which creates an environment conducive to fungal diseases like gray mold.
Raised beds tend to dry out more quickly than in-ground gardens, necessitating consistent and reliable watering. Uniform moisture is particularly important during the runner development phase in matted rows, as it facilitates the rooting of the new daughter plants. Furthermore, the high density of plants rapidly depletes soil nutrients, so annual soil amendment or fertilization is necessary every year immediately following the main harvest to replenish the lost resources.
To maintain productivity in the Matted Row system, annual bed renovation is required immediately after the June harvest. This process involves mowing the foliage, narrowing the established rows to about 6 to 12 inches, and thinning the plants to ensure a well-spaced stand of the most vigorous daughter plants. Day-neutral beds are typically not renovated but instead are completely replaced every two to three years to maintain optimal yield.