Strawberry plot - am I doing right?

[carosanto]

Hi Y'All

Perishin' cold up the lottie but needed to cover a bit of dug soil for the Spud Challenge and do a bit of tidying, which is why straws are on my mind.

I grew strawbs for the first time last year, a so so crop but good despite the wet stuff and the newness of the plot.  Plants grew good runners, and I have established many of these over the winter, but now my plot is looking crowded and, as plants mature, could overflow!  Also plot getting very weedy.

So.........how close together should my full grown plants be?  Would it be a good idea afer weeding to throw on some home made compost as a mulch and feed, and when should I do this.  If not is there anything else I can do to ensure a good crop this year.

I know the answer is out there!

Regards, Caro

[manicscousers]

Hiya, caro..our strawberries are about 12"betwee, in a cross pattern, we feed them in spring, this year, it'll be pelleted chicken manure..our plants are planted through weed control but compost is a good idea 
our next year's new bed will have lots of w r manure dug in and this years runners will go in there 

[carosanto]

Hi Y'All

Thanks Manics, how often to you change your bed (if its not a personal question), and when making a new bed, when do you dig in the manure?  I think I am going to start a new and bigger bed in 2011.

Thanks in advance.

[manicscousers]

we change the beds every four or so years, some of the old, large plants get put into pots and forced in the poly the year after, can't stand getting rid of those lovely, large plants..we dig in the manure in the autumn, leave it to settle a couple of weeks and plant the runners into it, through the weed control.