March 7, 2025
Yesterday, I started feeling like “my old bony self” again around 3:00 PM. I do believe having a nap helped. Nox was a sweetheart and snuggled up against me while I napped.
Bruce let me know we had two packages, one from Misfits and another box that looked like plants.
After putting the food away, I opened the other box and discovered my Florida Pearl Junebearing Strawberries had arrived!
I received 11 plants, one more than expected.
I gathered up my gear to plant the strawberries and headed out the raised bed assigned to the strawberries (D6).
The square of green plastic has holes that are the correct width for planting seeds and plants using the square foot method. The orange plastic stick next to the green square fits into the holes and allows me to poke holes for seeds. It also allows me to mark spaces.
Here’s the strawberry bed all marked out.
I planted the strawberries in the center of the squares, watered them in and applied a side dressing of cow manure compost from our neighbor.
I am hoping that being white will prevent the birds from eating these ripe strawberries. We’ll see. I have bird netting to protect them if needed.
From the Gurney’s seed catalog:
“…Large Florida Pearl berries are white inside and out with bright red seeds, and turn a lovely blush pink when ripe.
Giant White Berries: One of the largest pineberry strawberries on the market, dwarfing all others. They’ll turn heads in the garden—not to mention fruit salads.
Outstanding Flavor Profile: Experience the exceptional low-acid taste with enticing hints of pineapple, peach, apricot and pear.”
After I finished planting the strawberries, I planted onion plants we brought at Rural King on March 5 in various beds. I had left them soaking in a bucket of water overnight. I planted 5 onions per square. After planting the onions, I watered them in.
I am very interested to see how the onions do in the bagged topsoil vs the Bama Dirt Pro Mix.
Blackberry Homestead 
Thanks for the seed-planting lesson–that sounds like a good idea…but I might not be disciplined enough to use it!
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I used it to great success for years. I had made myself a square and would draw lines on the bed and then plant. This planting template is way easier to use.
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I never knew to soak onions before planting. Interesting!
I hope the strawberries are as delicious as they sound. 🍓
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If it had been onion sets, I wouldn’t have soaked them. Ideally, you soak bare rooted plants before planting them.
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Oh, that makes sense!
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Julia, Can you get a county or state agriculture service to comment on the relative value of Bama Dirt Pro Mix vs. bagged topsoil? What brand bagged topsoil? My previous attempts to raise tomatos were not too successful – I suspect because of the “topsoil” from Lowes. Howard
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I like the Bama Dirt Pro Mix better. It isn’t just mulch. It has a clay base and sand with compost. While I don’t like the lumps of clay, they are dissolving in the rain. The bagged topsoil seems to be mostly mulch. I am not sure how well plants will grow in it. I don’t remember which brand of bagged topsoil we purchased.
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