I’m a last-minute kinda girl. Every time I have a bad night with the kids, I get flashbacks in the morning to the many times I pulled an all-nighter during my uni days.
I guess I just work better under pressure.
Well it’s early June, and by my calculations summer is 175 days away. Just the time not to be planting strawberries on planet lastminute.com.
Today my Hokowase patch kit arrived from the Diggers Club. I was actually wondering what I had ordered when I found the parcel this afternoon, because it was so small.
In the parcel was 20 bare-rooted strawberries and some black weed matting – all in a box about 15cm x 10cm x 10cm.
Strawberries poking through the weed mat
The instructions urged me to plant them immediately, so I got to work. I had some polystyrene boxes, so I filled them up with a mixture of bokashi compost and cow manure, then mulched with sugar cane. I planted the crowns (probably too densely), then stretched the weed matting over the top, cutting holes for the plant positions.
Baby Hokowase
I’ve watered them in well and placed them along the front garden bed.
Hurry up summer! Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Hurry Hurry!
Did I mention I’m impatient too?
500m2 in Sydney 
ooh Strawberries! Will you need to protect them from frost?
I hope not! They are in a fairly protected position against concrete, so I hope that will absorb the heat during the day and keep them warmer at night. Maybe?
Mine got frostbitten (facing west and getting reflected heat from underneath and behind) but they are close to a year old, and are fighting back.
If you erect a shadecloth type thing above them (or tuck them in at night) they should be protected.
I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with frosts, but speaking to our neighbour, apparently we do get them. The strawberries are sitting right next to the tomatoes, so maybe I can use the tomatoes like a miner’s canary. If the tomato carks it, I’ll know it’s not safe for the strawberries.
Even just an old pillow case you cover them with evernight would work. Prevention better than cure!