I feel like last night was the first time this year I’ve given time to my strawberries. It’s been a busy spring and it’s busy because of the trip to LA and Seattle coming up next week, which happens to coincide with the last frost date in my area. Great timing, right?

Anyway, these strawberries have been through a tough 2026 so far. The weather has been confusing and then when it was all in bloom, the frost came and killed off its first flush. Thankfully, these are all everbearing strawberries, so fruit will come when the weather is right. Still, the first flush of any fruit is always the best.

I should also mention that it’s been neglected by me as well. I’ve barely watered it as water is a precious commodity around here these days. I didn’t even put down granular fertilizer. I’ve only feed it once with an organic water soluble. As people in the UK like to say, “Blood, Fish, and Bone.” If it’s getting fed, it would be through the in-ground compost bin I’ve installed in the middle of the bed.

So, yeah, these guys are a trooper.

These strawberry plants were purchased as a 6 pack at a nursery in early 2022. I originally planted them in grow bags with the blueberry bushes before moving them to their permanent home in late 2022 when I got this raised bed. Before you ask, no, these plants are not that old. I planted a couple of the mother plants in other places. By the end of 2024, the mother plants were so big, I attempted to divide them in the fall and most of them died. Most of the plants in this bed are mostly offsprings of the mother plants, propogated by runners.

As a gardener, I look forward to harvesting the first strawberry out of the garden each year. Getting to taste these special berries is one of the things that keeps the gardening bug going, and getting to think about the harvest I would have for the next few weeks, especially during the cold dreary winter month, would be enough to chase away the winter blues.

By the way, I did pick that juicy red berry and it was the sweetest, juiciest thing I’ve tasted so far in 2026. Here’s to a great start to the 2026 strawberry season.

The Flower Hour