Hairy root management
 
If hairy root disease becomes a problem in your landscape, soil solarization may be your only option.
 
It is much easier to prevent this problem in the first place by buying certified pest- and disease-free plant stock from reputable sellers. As tempting as it may be, do not add grocery store plants or seeds to your landscape. Those plants are certified safe to eat, not to grow. If you must grow plants from the grocery, keep them in containers and place them in quarantine to avoid putting other plants at risk.
 
Also, be gentle with your trees and shrubs when transplanting. Damaged roots are more susceptible to infection.

The matted row system takes advantage of the natural behavior of strawberry plants to produce some of the best strawberries for your gardening efforts. It takes longer to harvest the first crop, usually 12 months, but I think the long-term benefits outweigh the initial wait.
 
Commercially, strawberries are grown as annuals. Runners are removed, forcing plants to focus on root and fruit formation. This results in harvests in as little as 7 or 8 months. After harvesting, the plants are removed, and you start over again the next year. In the matted row system, strawberry plants are allowed to produce intertwining runners, creating daughter plants. This tangle of runners creates a matted row of strawberry plants. Each of these plants provides daughter plants for the next growing season, for up to 5 years.
 
The downside of using the matted row system is that you will have to tend your strawberry plants all year. Of course, you won’t need to buy strawberry plants for a very long time.
 
How to prepare a matted row system
 
Assuming you have already created healthy soil in your garden and had your soil tested, you will make rows that are 3 feet apart, keeping the plants in a strip less than two feet wide. The plants in the middle of wider rows do not produce very well. Narrower rows make picking all those luscious red fruits easier!
 
Mulching the space between the rows will help maintain soil moisture and stabilize temperatures. It also cuts down on weeds.
 
Strawberry plant placement recommendations range from placing plants 12 to 15 inches apart to spacing them 18 to 30 inches apart. I suppose it depends on too many variables to say for sure. Soil texture and structure, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone, drainage, and all those other factors that affect our plants play their part. My suggestion: play with it and see what plant spacing works best for you in your garden.
 
In contrast, the other methods of growing strawberries manage those runners in different ways:

• Hill system—all runners are removed; plants set one foot apart in multiple rows
• Spaced row system—only a few daughters allowed to remain; spaced at least 4 inches apart

 
 
Which strawberry varieties should you choose?
 
Any June-bearing strawberry variety can be grown using the matted row system, regardless of whether they are day-neutral or everbearing. Some of the more popular varieties include Allstar, Benton, Cavendish, Delmarvel, Earliglow, Honeoye, Hood, Jewel, Rainer, and Totem. Of course, new varieties are always fun to try!
 
Matted row system plant care
 
As runners appear, they are coaxed into staying in their row and at least 4 inches apart. Regular fertilizer, irrigation, and weeding will keep your plants healthy and productive.
 
At the end of each growing season, you will need to renovate your plants. This means removing spent plants, keeping runners within the row, reduce any overcrowding, and checking for signs of disease, pests, and weeds.
 
As brutal as it sounds, this also means mowing your strawberry rows within 7 to 10 days after the final harvest. Set your mower to a height one inch higher than the tallest crown and mow the rows. After mowing, rake the area and move all that plant debris to the compost pile. Remove any weeds, fertilize your strawberry plants, irrigate thoroughly, and cover the area with straw for the winter.
 
These practices will reduce pest and disease problems and prepare your plants for a productive spring for many years to come.

When those eggs hatch, larvae burrow into the seed and begin feeding. After eating their fill, they are ready to pupate. To guarantee they can escape after pupating, they create a larger exit hole before returning to the relative safety of their food-lined apartment.
 
How to manage bean weevils
 
Bean weevils are hard to control. Insecticides are not recommended.
 
The best way to keep bean weevils out of your garden is to not bring them in in the first place. This means investing in certified disease- and pest-free seed stock, not grocery store beans.

Parasitic wasps prey on bean weevils, so keeping your landscape healthy for them makes your job easier. Those garden helpers love plants with umbrella-shaped flowers, like carrots and parsley. And avoid using unnecessary chemicals.
 
And if bean weevils do appear, be sure to remove plant debris after harvesting. This makes it harder for overwintering adults to hide.
 
To be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to freeze harvested dried beans for a couple of days, just in case. And then store your bean crop in airtight containers.
 
Finally, adult bean weevils have a funny trick – when startled, they play dead and fall to the ground. Don’t be fooled! As soon as you walk away, they get right back to what they were doing.

​Bilberry plants prefer loose, loamy, or sandy soil. Being short, wind damage isn’t a problem.
 
Do you have a partially (or fully) shaded area of your yard?
 
These plants prefer acidic soil (4.5-5.5pH), so they may enjoy being tucked under a pine tree for some long-term slow-release acidification. If you decide to install more than one bilberry plant, they should be spaced 18-24 inches (45-60cm) apart. You can also grow them in large containers.
 
To plant bare root stock, dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. This allows you to spread out the roots, giving them free rein for their first weeks, and ensures that you install plants to the same depth they were before. Too deep and too shallow are both bad for your bilberries.
 
You can mix some aged compost into the removed soil before you sprinkle it over the roots. Resist the urge to tamp the soil down. This damages root hairs and makes life difficult for your latest addition. Instead, simply water it well. Also known as mudding in, this eliminates air pockets and hydrates the roots, all without causing harm. Finally, mulch around, but not touching, your bilberry to stabilize soil temperature and conserve moisture. Do not overwater.
 
Bilberry pests and diseases
 
Drainage is important to bilberry plants. Soggy soil commonly sets the stage for root rot. And poor air flow can lead to leaf spot diseases, so avoid overhead watering. Aphids and birds are the most common pests of bilberries.