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How to Manage Pests
Pests in Gardens and Landscapes
Bed preparation
After the soil is prepared, make raised beds about 6 inches
high and about 10 inches wide across the top if you are planting
one row of strawberries, or 18 inches wide if you are planting
two rows. Two rows of plants work well, and you can run a
drip line down the middle of the bed between them. Orienting
the beds in a north-south direction provides the best sunlight
exposure for the plants. Make sure the furrows between beds
are sloped enough in the direction of the rows that water
drains away during rainy weather. Standing water promotes
root and crown diseases. If you are planning to water the
strawberries by flooding furrows, make the slope shallow
enough that furrows can be filled with water by blocking
the ends. Make planter boxes at least 12 inches deep so that
the plants will be rooted entirely in the soil you use to
fill the box. Put copper barriers in place around the box
as soon as it is filled with soil to keep snails and slugs
from crawling in. If you have problems with moles or gophers,
place a wire mesh barrier beneath raised beds before you
plant. | Seedbed
designs
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