A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Fruit Forum Strawberries (2nd season berries). .

Check these pics out. This is the 2nd summer these plants have been in the ground, the first of which I did NOT let runners/berries grow.

CURRENTLY, they have 3 runners each, i'm picking the new runners that grow daily, and a good 3 dozen or so berries growing on each plant.

The berries are VERY small, see the pic of the 3 in my hand. Most of the berries have gotten so ripe at a gumball size that they are mushy & thrown away.

QUESTIONS: Is it still too early for these first berries? Maybe throughout the summer (they are the kind that grow all summer long. . i beleive quinalt?) they will increase in size? Is it becuz i have runners growing too?

All help greatly appreciated!!! this forum!
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I don't leave my runners grow while the plants are fruiting, it takes away from the berry size. Keep your plants runner free until berry picking is done. I leave them set runners in the fall and cut them and replant the runners in the spring.

gotcha!!! I bet this is the reason! :) Thanks!

Forgot to add that an everbearing berry doesn't grow as large as a one time bearing berry. You could plant two varieties as I have for a mixture.

You guys were right. . . the instant that i trimmed off the runners. . the next few berries were INCREDIBLY larger than the previous. I'm sure every berry is a different size as well :)

THANKS!