Dear Curiosity Journal,
On the farm, we are lifelong learners, the humble apprentices of Mother Nature. Her lessons are often learned the hard way, by trial and error, through labor and care. In my experience, these are the teachings that stick. The nature of the strawberry plant is to expand, sending multiple runners over the soil surface. Each runner will root down and produce a new plant. This is a captivating process to behold, however, if you’re attempting to grow carrots in the next row, you’ll need to address the nature of the strawberry. Today Rufus is digging up our greenhouse strawberries and transplanting them into rain gutters, which he will stack on racks. This method controls the spreading and keeps the fruit off the ground, which helps with rodent damage and overall quality. It also has the added bonus of requiring less bending over for harvest, which is always a win for the farmer. I’m curious to see how this experiment unfolds, and I can’t wait for fresh strawberries!
~Joy
