Planting Strawberries & Other Plant Updates

After a successful trip to the farmer's market this weekend we tackled more spring planting throughout our back patio, including annual flowers, more herbs, and ever-bearing strawberries.

Pictured above is Rona, of Sullivan's Pond Farm — our top choice for buying eggs! Her farm is also where those leashed goats came from:

We potted up some colorful annuals in a few basic hanging planters we had on hand to brighten up our space and had enough leftover to fill another pot for our front stoop.

We also transplanted some fuller herb plants from the market into a trough-style planter (basil & cilantro) so we can get cooking again with fresh herbs while we wait on our seedlings to take shape in the front yard.

We noticed some of the purple beans we planted in a pot a few weekends ago are beginning to sprout:

Now onto the plants we are most excited about right now — the strawberries!

I installed 2 more 36" wide trough planters on the uppermost sides of our back landing where the most direct sunlight hits our space. We then transferred about 4-6 strawberry starter plants into the troughs and packed well with a mixture of dirt and soil.

Mary pinched off all beginning flowers and beginnings of berries on the strawberry plants in an effort to concentrate each of the plants' full energy into developing a strong root system in their new home. We also hear if you are able to pinch off the flowers on young strawberry plants for the first couple months of growth, this will actually help promote a much more bountiful crop later in the season. Even though it was scary doing so, we went with it — this is why you are just seeing the lovely greens of our new plants:

After a healthy watering, we are very hopeful for these plants — since they are perennials, we just might have the beginnings of a regular crop here.

I'm already beginning to dream up and pin ideas for these berries — we'd love to hear your tried and true recipes.