Speaking of beds....

I saw this photo online and if I were to come into some big bucks...I would have to splurge on a bed like this one.

Strawberry bed update
It's really disappointing when you try to support a small business and they really let you down.
I told about my strawberry bed and that it took a long time to get my plants but I forged ahead and planted them and began the wait....and I waited and waited some more for little green leaves to appear.
I thought those plants were very dry when they arrived, I soaked them over night and planted them the next morning. They never woke up from their dormancy they were *sniff* ....deceased.
I got my butt right back online and ordered from Gurneys25 Earliglow strawberries for 9.95 and 25 free.
I had them in 5 days from ordering.
BIG beautiful roots, packaged great in 2 seperate bags, damp roots and already green leaves ready to get nutty.
The others were wrapped in one layer of newspaper, no green leaves and a bit of mold on some of the crowns. The sandy dirt one the roots was very dry and most of the roots were small.
I have replanted and will post a picture in a few days.
Now I want to say a little something about Gurneys. They are a good company. When I ordered my blueberry bushes it was too early to plant so they held off shipping and when they went to ship, my card had expired. They shipped anyway, with no payment from me.
They sent an e-mail saying that they went ahead and shipped so I would not miss my planting date and to just go ahead and send them my updated info.
And last year I bought a rose collection from them, 4 climbing roses for 19.99,
When they came we were not home, they sat outside in the snow all day until late that night...I planted them the next day but they did not look good. It was a freak cold snap and had been 5' the whole day they sat outside by the porch. I waited until everything started budding and 2 of them sprang forth, 2 did not.
I called Gurneys the end of June and told them that 2 bit the dust and could they replace the 2. They said they would ship this spring. They sent me all 4. The whole collection again. Not just the 2.
Now that's customer service.

Strawberries MMMMM...

One of my favorite things about summer.

And nothing compares to picking them from your own garden.
Did you know that on the list of the most sprayed fruits and vegetables these little lovelies are way up there?
Like little sponges they are. So it is far better to buy them from a local organic or without pesticide farm stand. I say "without pesticide" because the "powers that think they be" have deemed it nearly impossible for small farmers to pay to be certified organic. Even though they may be in every sense of the word, they cannot legally label themselves or their produce as "Organic". However, they can say they are pesticide and herbicide free.
So go and yak it up at the local farm market or roadside stand, or find a CSA farm and support those growing locally, they are doing us all a favor.

Okay, so here is my answer to those supermarket,factory farm, or overseas (who knows what they are spraying them with) strawberries....

STRAWBERRY BED !

This is a bed Larry and I built out of 4 old lawn timbers, some scrap 2x4's, galvanized nails, hardware cloth (for the moles and voles), straw, and shredded pine bark mulch. Oh, and a little Hollytone organic fertilizer stirred in.
24 strawberry plants that came very late from Autumn Ridge Nursery. They were running behind so it took me 3 weeks to get them. But they are here and I soaked them in some kelp tea then put them to bed. Of course all buds should be cut off the first year so they do not produce but I bet I will cheat and let one plant have at least a few small berries.....