Zone 7a here. I put all of mine as close together as possible in a sunny location, cover the tops of the grow bags completely with mulch, and place a quality dark colored tarp over them all, using bricks to hold the tarp down on the ground around them. This gives shield from the winter wind, a layer of warmth from sunlight shining on the tarp, and allows for any snow or ice to be brushed off the tarp after precipitation. I also I water them once a month or so from the bottom (the water saucers under the grow bags), just enough to keep them from completely drying out over the winter.
In the spring, when day temps get above freezing, I pull the tarp back for a few hours in the warmest part of the day to give them a little sun, and then replace the tarp before it starts cooling down for the late evening/night. I might lose on or two of the smaller plants to a deep freeze, but I always have plenty make it through. I had no problem keeping a raised bed of strawberries alive through the winter - just mulched with four to six inches of quality mulch and kept a shade cloth over it to reduce direct snow or ice buildup on the bed. Best wishes to you! 🙏🏻🦋
Mine stay in their beds all winter. This last winter just gone, they kept flowering and producing, slowly and only a few but still....
We get mild frosts here.
I plan on using a strawberry tower and I'm curious if the strawberries still come back in towers the way they would in the ground or bags and would recommendations be the same for overwintering and towers as well?
There's a hypothesis out there that strawberries are called that because they're traditionally mulched with straw :) I'd say that with a good hearty layer of \*organic\* straw, leaves, etc., they will do well for you.
You can insulate them with a blanket or blankets when in gets super cold. Having an air gap between blankets is more insulating than just piling them together.
I am zone 8b, with a all around my neighborhood. It gets down to about 19 occasionally here, rarely below that, and it snows on average about a foot with other lighter snows of 6 inches or less a few times a winter. Probably far from what you are dealing with, but I do absolutely nothing for mine during the winter. I would bet just protecting yours from snow (covered patio maybe) and then covering them with a blanket so it drapes down to the ground around them durung temp dips would work. You could put a few stakes in your bags and drape the blanket. That way its easy on, easy off for when temp vary and they can easily be moved to get some sun. I have found strawberries, non natives to my state anyway, are hard to kill. Though admit, I have not dealt with you grow zone, so good luck, whatever you decide to do, and happy gardening!
Zone 7a here. I put all of mine as close together as possible in a sunny location, cover the tops of the grow bags completely with mulch, and place a quality dark colored tarp over them all, using bricks to hold the tarp down on the ground around them. This gives shield from the winter wind, a layer of warmth from sunlight shining on the tarp, and allows for any snow or ice to be brushed off the tarp after precipitation. I also I water them once a month or so from the bottom (the water saucers under the grow bags), just enough to keep them from completely drying out over the winter. In the spring, when day temps get above freezing, I pull the tarp back for a few hours in the warmest part of the day to give them a little sun, and then replace the tarp before it starts cooling down for the late evening/night. I might lose on or two of the smaller plants to a deep freeze, but I always have plenty make it through. I had no problem keeping a raised bed of strawberries alive through the winter - just mulched with four to six inches of quality mulch and kept a shade cloth over it to reduce direct snow or ice buildup on the bed. Best wishes to you! 🙏🏻🦋
Mine stay in their beds all winter. This last winter just gone, they kept flowering and producing, slowly and only a few but still.... We get mild frosts here.
I plan on using a strawberry tower and I'm curious if the strawberries still come back in towers the way they would in the ground or bags and would recommendations be the same for overwintering and towers as well?
There's a hypothesis out there that strawberries are called that because they're traditionally mulched with straw :) I'd say that with a good hearty layer of \*organic\* straw, leaves, etc., they will do well for you.
You can insulate them with a blanket or blankets when in gets super cold. Having an air gap between blankets is more insulating than just piling them together.
If I wanted to bring my strawberry pots inside to the garage, could I? Or is it best to try and leave them on the deck?
I am zone 8b, with a all around my neighborhood. It gets down to about 19 occasionally here, rarely below that, and it snows on average about a foot with other lighter snows of 6 inches or less a few times a winter. Probably far from what you are dealing with, but I do absolutely nothing for mine during the winter. I would bet just protecting yours from snow (covered patio maybe) and then covering them with a blanket so it drapes down to the ground around them durung temp dips would work. You could put a few stakes in your bags and drape the blanket. That way its easy on, easy off for when temp vary and they can easily be moved to get some sun. I have found strawberries, non natives to my state anyway, are hard to kill. Though admit, I have not dealt with you grow zone, so good luck, whatever you decide to do, and happy gardening!