When strawberries ripen

Strawberries are a fragrant berry loved by many. It has become popular not only for its excellent taste. Its fruits, flowers and leaves contain many health benefits. Summer is the time to go to the forest for wild-growing berries. In order not to return empty-handed, you must first find out when the strawberries ripen.

What does strawberry look like and where does it grow?

Strawberry is a perennial herb that belongs to the genus of the same name. She got this name because her berries are located close to the ground.

The plant is widespread throughout Russia:

• in the European part (except for the Black Sea and Lower Volga regions);
• in Western and Eastern Siberia;
• in the Caucasus.

What strawberries look like:

• bushes grow up to 30 cm in height;
• leaves are dark green, trifoliate, with jagged edges. The shape is oval or ovoid-rhombic. Below there is a silky pubescence. Located on long petioles;
• flowers are corymbose, bisexual, can have different colors - white, pink or yellowish;
• berries - many-roots: dry seeds are located on an overgrown receptacle.

Wild strawberries, which are common in Russia, are divided into three types:

• Field - grows in meadows, clearings or edges of deciduous forests. Occasionally appears along roads or railways. When does wild strawberry start singing? In central Russia, berries are harvested in mid-July. It appears earlier than the forest one, because it receives more sunlight. The fruiting period lasts about three weeks.
• Forest, or ordinary - ripe berries appear by the end of June. Bears fruit for about a month. Often found in pine forests. Loves areas with moderate grass cover. Ripe berries are soft and cannot be stored or transported for a long time. Strawberries need to either be eaten immediately, or processed - to make jam, jam, compote.
• Strawberry meadow, or green - differs from the forest form of leaves. Grows in well-lit places - in forest glades and hay meadows. The berries are cherry red, round, difficult to separate from the calyx. They are stored better than other types of fruits. When does meadow strawberry begin to ripen? Almost simultaneously with the forest.

What does strawberry look like?

When the dugout blooms and ripens

Strawberry bloom begins in May. In the northern regions later - in early June. The life span of one flower is 4-6 days. After that, the berry is formed.

A common question is after how many days ripe fruits can be harvested. It takes 3-4 weeks to ripen. The collection period lasts about the same. The berries ripen not at the same time, but in stages. Therefore, even in one meadow, you can regularly collect fragrant strawberries.

When to pick strawberries in different regions

The strawberry picking season depends on climatic and weather conditions. It usually falls in June - July. The further north, the later the strawberries ripen.In the southern regions, red berries appear at the end of May and disappear in the last days of June. And in Siberia, people continue to feast on them until the end of August. Therefore, it is rather difficult to say when exactly the strawberries will ripen.

Strawberry picking season

In central Russia, it begins to ripen from mid-June - from about the 15th. In cool weather, the season is postponed to early July.

It is possible to single out the approximate dates when strawberries appeared in 2018, depending on the growing area.

Real ripening dates vary within a week, depending on the microclimatic conditions of a particular area. But in any case, according to the information presented above, amateurs will be able to determine when roughly strawberries ripen in their region.

Thus, the answer to the question of when strawberries ripen can be as follows - from the beginning of June in the southern regions and until the end of July in the northern regions. The first ripe berries contain the most nutrients. If the weather is hot, then fruiting ends quickly. Therefore, it is better not to postpone a visit to the forest.

A quick way to pick strawberries: a DIY picker

Collecting strawberries is a laborious task. With an average yield, it is usually possible to fill a two-liter container in 3 hours.

Hand harvesters

However, there are special devices that greatly facilitate this process - combines. In general, such devices are divided into two types:

• Manual - the simplest option, is a small box where the picked berries fall, with "rakes" - teeth that pluck strawberries from the bush.
• Mechanical - similar to combine harvesters. Complex mechanisms that completely automate the process. Designed for large farms.

Handheld harvesters are sold at gardening stores. When choosing, you need to focus on the distance between the teeth. For strawberries it is 5-6 mm. Leaves and stems will quietly pass through them, and the berries will remain in the box.

Structures with too frequent teeth do a lot of damage to bushes. After using them, strawberry yield remains low for up to four years. Such harvesters are considered poaching, and a fine is imposed for their use. But many stores sell them anyway. Their low cost makes them very popular among the population.

The harvester can be made by hand. Of the tools you will need:

• jigsaw;
• drill;
• hammer;
• nippers;
• screwdriver.

In addition, you need to prepare a ruler, marker and scissors. Materials - boards for a box with a thickness of about 10 mm and wire for making "rakes" with a diameter of 3 mm. The drawing is easy to do on your own, because all the details are simple in shape.

DIY collection device

The manufacturing procedure will be approximately as follows:

1. Boards are marked out and parts are cut out of them with a jigsaw - the walls and base of the box, handles for carrying.
2. To make the harvester more comfortable to hold, the handles are made double - two identical parts are glued together with wood glue. Then they are smoothed with sandpaper to smooth out sharp corners.
3. The wire is divided into pieces of the required length (about 60 cm) and bent in half.
4. Two square racks will hold the tines in the combine. Holes are drilled in them every 5-6 mm.
5. Wire is inserted into the processed slats. One of them is located at the base, the other - in the middle of the "rake" to ensure a secure fit. The edges of the wire are bent at the angle of the side walls of the combine.

It remains to fasten all the parts together with screws. The device is now ready for use.

Which ripens earlier: strawberries or strawberries

Strawberries and strawberries are different berries, although many people confuse them. The main difference lies in the structure of the flowers. In strawberries they are unisexual, in strawberries they are bisexual. Also, plants have different shapes of berries. The strawberry is round, and its “sister” is elongated and slightly pointed. These species do not interbreed with each other. When strawberries appear, the strawberries are not yet bearing fruit. She lags behind on average 7-14 days.

Wild berries are not only delicious, but also extremely healthy. In order not to miss the moment when you can pick strawberries, you should be guided by the specified dates and weather conditions. Nature pleases people with gifts throughout the summer - in July and August, other berries ripen, which are no less tasty and healthy.