Best way to plant strawberries with weed suppressant fabric

[gavinjconway]

Hi everyone.. I have been given a roll of weed suppressant fabric and would like to use it with my strawberries.. I have never used it so need some info how best to use it.

Do I cut holes in it and lay it on the bed then plant through? Do I cut round holes or cut a X instead? or how do I use it best..

[gavinjconway]

[Duke Ellington]

I created a new strawberry bed last year. I covered my whole raised bed with Weed suppressant, pegged it down and then cut an x for each strawberry plant.  This way each plant is exactly where you want it to be.

Duke :)

[gavinjconway]

I created a new strawberry bed last year. I covered my whole raised bed with Weed suppressant, pegged it down and then cut an x for each strawberry plant.  This way each plant is exactly where you want it to be.

Duke :)

Hi Duke - Thats the way I was pondering.. what is you spacing?

[Duke Ellington]

I spaced mine at about 8 inches apart all round Gavin.  I plant everything closer than recommended because a grow in raised beds.
Duke  :)

[gavinjconway]

Thanks Duke..

[manicscousers]

Same as us, in x's, 5 per x  ;D

[gavinjconway]

Same as us, in x's, 5 per x  ;D

Hi and thanks for the info..   

manics... 5 per x?  what do you  mean?

[manicscousers]

Imagine a big x, one strawberry at each point

x         x         x         x
      x        x        x           x
x          x         x         x

something like that  ;D

[kt.]

I created a new strawberry bed last year. I covered my whole raised bed with Weed suppressant, pegged it down and then cut an x for each strawberry plant.  This way each plant is exactly where you want it to be.

I did exactly the same last year too.

[Tee Gee]

I spaced mine at about 8 inches apart all round Gavin.  I plant everything closer than recommended because a grow in raised beds.

I don't disagree with the dimensions Duke  uses because she is growing on raised beds and can harvest quite easily.

But in my beds I have to allow sufficient space for my ' big feet' so I work on 12" apart!

So that is something to think about!

[Digeroo]

I have narrow paths round my strawberry beds so I try to keep my big feet off.  The beds are about a metre across so I can stretch from either side.

The deer are cuttently doing a great job of nibbling off all the old leaves.  I will be ready with the netting once the weather starts warming up again. 

I tend to use the old straw method to suppress the weeds between the plants last years has more of less rotten down into the soil.

[gavinjconway]

Thank everyone for the advices... I'll get my fabric pre X'ed and get growing in the spring. I have loads still to do and dig on the plot before I can plant them out from their nursery pots.. i collected runners of 20 plants I was given in the summer. My strawberry patch will be 4 mt square so quite a few plants..