Strawberries!!

strawberry flowers and immature fruits Our berries are growing gangbusters this year!

This is their second and third year in this bed, one in between our house and the neighbors.  It gets sunlight for about 6 hours of the day now and that time is ever lengthening.

strawberry blossoms

Weeds are a threat to these berries.  I weed the bed almost daily removing the starchy sticky stems of milkweed that seem to grow inches overnight.

green strawberries as big as thumb

As the green fruits are already the size of my thumbnail, I laid bird netting over top this week.  I want to enjoy every sweet berry, leaving none for the squirrels or birds.

When friends ordered alpine strawberries earlier this spring from The Strawberry Store, I could not resist joining their wholesale buy.  I'm so glad I gave in because these are the sweetest tiny plants I have ever seen!

alpine strawberry seedlings

Alpine berries are supposed to have unsurpassed flavor.  Unlike traditional strawberries, they can be divided for reproduction.  I have two varieties, red Alexandria and Yellow Wonder.

alpine strawberries in garden bed

Alex dug out an addition to our regular strawberry bed for these tiny wonders, barely visible in the picture above.  I can't wait to taste the fruits!