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Old March 31, 2007   #6
feldon30
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rock Hill, SC
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Kings Orchard is $3.25/lb and are west of Magnolia, TX
The Strawberry Patch is $2/lb in Wharton, TX (35mi S.W. of Sugar Land)
Sweet Berry Farm is $2.25/lb in Marble Falls, TX (50mi W. of Austin)

What I am finding is that Junebearing and Everbearing are interchangeable in Houston, as you will only get 1 good crop out of any strawberry plant grown in Houston. Spring is the wrong time to plant -- try September or early October.

I have to say I am very underwhelmed by the flavor of Chandler. It is giving me roughly the production of Quinault but with much less flavor. Chandler in my garden tastes faintly of a wild raspberry if that can be believed. Certainly not the bold strawberry flavor I've had before both in Texas at the H-E-B when it opened on Fountainview @ Westheimer and also strawberries I've had in France.

My frustration with Quinault is, I believe, because I bought plants when they typically become available -- in March. The plants should be well-established in slightly acidic soil and producing fruit at that point, not being transplanted. My plants desperately tried to produce fruit all summer and fall, but it was just tiny misshapen fruit caused by the intense heat.

Also I have multiple crowns of Quinault right next to each other which is a big no-no. As a result, they are fighting each other rather than producing berries. The few plants that I separated out are the ones giving me production.

I would like to try Tri-Star as I have heard good things about it too, but again I would order bare-root plants in September. I'm pretty sure I'm going to rip the Chandlers out when they are done producing. I am now getting 3-4 strawberries a day out of both Quinaults and Chandlers but one has a good flavor and the other doesn't.

I am seriously thinking of putting something else in that bed other than strawberries or perhaps moving my tomatoes in my 4' x 8' bed to another bed and turning that bed into a blackberry patch. Blackberries that are given good care will produce far more fruit in the same garden space.

Last edited by feldon30; March 31, 2007 at 04:32 PM.
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