Homestead
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Maine is home to some hardy berry plants, but strawberries aren’t one of them.
They need a layer of insulation in the winter, or else they’ll be damaged by very cold temperatures and cycles of freezing and thawing that can cause the ground to heave, disturbing shallow root systems.
It’s important to provide that cover now more than ever, as heavy snowfall is less likely to cover the ground throughout the winter. Maine is increasingly seeing rainfall or periods of warm snow-melting weather between snowfalls, which takes away the insulating layer of snow that protects plants in cold weather.
The Bangor area has gotten consistent amounts of snowfall each winter over the past 20 years, according to data from the National Weather Service in Caribou. But over the same time period, the average temperature has generally increased several degrees in December, January and February.
On the ground, that can mean snow is more likely to melt between storms, rather than accumulating into a thick layer. That’s becoming a problem for farmers who grow winter crops, and there are also more problems with heavy rains, strong winds and soil erosion as a result of some of these changing patterns.
Less consistent, lasting snowpack could also get your strawberries in trouble, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Unlike some other perennial plants, they don’t go fully dormant in winter, which means they’re less naturally protected from cold temperatures. Plants can also dry out when they’re exposed to the elements.
Typically, the time to mulch them is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You’ll know it’s time when the leaves have turned red and collapsed at the top of the plant, a sign the strawberries are in their winter stage.
Don’t prune or mow them at this point in the year, either. That’s an option for varieties that bear fruit in summer, but it’s best to do it after the last harvest. Cutting them back now will harm next year’s yield.
Straw is a common mulch choice; you can also use pine needles. Apply six or eight inches — the less consistent snow cover is in your area, the more mulch you’ll want. You may see people using plastic on top of the plants instead, but note that this method is made for strawberries planted into black plastic ground coverings.
Remember to remove the mulch in the spring so the plants can grow. The extension recommends doing this when other perennial plants start opening buds.
