Indiana Berry

Cultivate the soil several times 2 weeks prior to planting to eliminate weeds. Each time you do this you will eliminate many freshly germinated weeds. It is best to plant strawberries as early in the spring as the soil is workable. Cold temperatures are unlikely to damage dormant plants. Typical time of planting times is from February to early April in the south, March, and April in the northern states. If you order plants by mail and received in before you were ready or weather conditions are not ideal, as long as you set the box on a cool dark place such as basement or garage they should be okay for 7-10 days. Plants will keep up to 4 weeks if kept at 35 degrees. The surface mold may appear but this will not harm the plants. Check moisture levels of the roots frequently. If the roots are dry, you will need to mist them but be careful not to over water them, as this can lead to mold problems. Plant on planting when weather is cloudy and cool to prevent roots from drying out. Remove most of the old leaves from each plant. Use a trowel to make a hole by pressing it back and tipping to both sides. Spread the roots carefully and firm the soil around the roots. Set the plants at the correct depth. Do not trim roots and do not bend roots to fit into the hole. The base of the crown should be at the level of the soil surface. Plants too deep will smother and die; plants too high will dry out. Spread the roots and carefully firm the soil around the roots leaving no air pockets. If the soil is dry, pour a pint of water around each plant. DO NOT FERTILIZE AT TIME OF PLANTING. You should see new green growth in 7-10 days.
June Bearers - remove flowers the first year to eliminate fruiting. This will encourage more runners the first year.    1st Year Care - Set Plants 1 to 2 Feet Apart Within The Row 
The objective the first year is to establish a good row of plants. Approximately 30 days after planting the plant will produce flowers. These flowers should be pinched or cut off. Do not pull them off. Removing the flowers prohibits the plats from fruiting and as a result, encourages more runners earlier in the season - setting the stage for a higher yielding crop the second year. These runners need to be pulled into the row and then they "peg" or grow roots and become new plants. To properly peg a new plant you may have to help it by digging through the straw mulch and press the runner tip into the ground. The runner will only root when it comes in contact with the soil. These new plants are what will produce fruit next year. You should try to place a new plant every 6" in every direction in a matted row that is 12 to 18 inches wide. Allowing plants to be closer than 6" will crowd the plants which will result in smaller fruit. Remove all new runners that from after mid-August as these will not have time to peg and produce a good plant. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR BED TO OVER POPULATE. Keep weeds under control. Unfortunately, the best way to do this is by hand and hoe. In the late fall, after 3 hard frosts or a hard freeze, you should cover your planting with a straw mulch. This is typically around Thanksgiving in northern Indiana. This protects the plants from extreme winter cold as well as moderating the temperature to stabilize the plant's environment. Mulch the plants by shaking the straw evenly over the row until you can no longer see any of the green of the plant through the covering of straw. 

Second Year - 1st Fruiting Year
Remove the straw mulch in early spring (when growth starts) DO NOT ALLOW PLANTS TO TURN YELLOW UNDER THE STRAW. Remove the straw by parting it slightly allowing for a narrow row 12 to 18 inches wide to grow up through the mulch. Keeping the parted straw up against the narrow row will allow the fruit to sit on a straw bed while ripening. This will create a barrier to protect the fruit from splashing dirt. This is important as many of the fruit rots come from the soil. The thick straw mulch between rows will also help in weed control.
DO NOT APPLY ANY FERTILIZER IN THE SPRING as it will soften the fruit. 
Spring frosts can often kill the blossoms, Even a light frost can have a devastating effect on yield. Remember to cover or protect your patch in some way just as you might sensitive flowers or tomato plants. Small green fruit is seldom damaged by frosts. Keep the planting well watered (1" per week) while the crop is maturing. 
As berries ripen, keep them picked. Allowing overripe fruit to remain in the patch can attract beetles that will become a nuisance. Go over the patch every 2 to 3 days picking the fruit at maximum ripeness. It is normal for berry size to decrease as the season progresses. The later fruit is smaller but the flavor is usually great and these make great jam and freezer berries. 

  The first season after new growth starts(when runners start) side dress with 1 lb per 100 square feet.  In Mid-August side dress with 1 lb per 100 square feet.

2nd year and subsequent years after, broadcast with 2-3 lbs of fertilizer at renovation and in Mid-August side dress with 1 lb per 100 square feet.

CAUTION; MAKE SURE FERTILIZER DOES NOT LODGE ON THE LEAVES; FERTILIZER CAN BE SWEPT OFF THE PLANTS, THIS IS NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE PLANTS FROM LEAF BURN. A crucial step in maintaining a productive berry patch is renovating. This is a 3 steps process performed each year as soon after harvest as possible that rejuvenates your planting and is essential if you want to have a long-lived productive patch.
Step 1: Set the mower blade on your lawn mower at a setting that will remove the leaves from the strawberry plant but won't damage the crowns. Trimming off the old leaves will decrease the disease problems for the rest of the summer. If this step is delayed and runners begin to grow, skip this step. Waiting too long to mow off the leaves will damage next year's yield. 
Step 2: Lightly fertilize your patch with a balanced 12-12-12 fertilizer at 2 lbs per 100 square feet. 
Step 3: Till between the rows narrowing down the row to 10 to 12 inches. This is very hard for many people as they think they are destroying their patch. Thinning or narrowing the row will keep your plants healthy and productive by allowing more sunlight and airflow throughout the row.