The best choice of strawberries for your family
Planting strawberries in containers or pots is a great way to cultivate these plants, especially if you have limited space. Here are some tips on planting density:
Continue reading “What is the optimal spacing for planting strawberries in containers or pots?”
Diet plays a crucial role in combating diabetes and insulin resistance, two common metabolic diseases. However, the question often arises whether sweet fruits, such as strawberries, can be safe and beneficial for those affected by these conditions?
Strawberry 🍓 enthusiasts, rejoice because we have good news for you! Strawberries not only provide pleasure in terms of taste but are also low in calories, rich in fiber, and full of nutrients that offer numerous benefits for diabetics, individuals suffering from insulin resistance, and other metabolic diseases.
Continue reading “Strawberries: A Miraculous Treat for Diabetics?”
The ketogenic diet,🙂 also known as the keto diet, is gaining increasing popularity as an effective weight loss and health improvement method. It is based on the principle of limiting carbohydrate intake and increasing fat consumption. In such a case, many fruits may be excluded from the diet due to their sugar content.
Continue reading “Keto and Strawberries: A Healthy Pairing on Your Plate”
Diabetes is a metabolic disease that requires strict control of blood sugar levels. Choosing the right foods is key to maintaining stable glucose levels and overall health. One of the frequently asked questions is: Can people with diabetes enjoy fruits, especially berry fruits, such as strawberries? The answer is: yes! Strawberries are tasty, nutritious, and have many benefits for people with diabetes.
Here are a few reasons why it’s worth including strawberries in your diet, even if you have diabetes:
Rich in Nutrients
Strawberries are not only tasty but also rich in nutrients. They contain vitamin C, which supports immunity and acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage. Strawberries are also a source of folic acid, vitamin K, manganese, and other nutrients that support overall health and vitality of the body.
Low Glycemic Index
The glycemic index (GI) is an indicator that measures the impact of consumed food on blood sugar levels. Strawberries have a low glycemic index, which means that after eating them, blood sugar levels will not rise sharply. This means that strawberries do not cause sudden spikes in blood glucose, which is beneficial for people with diabetes.
High Fiber Content
Strawberries are rich in dietary fiber, which has many health benefits, especially for people with diabetes. Fiber helps control blood sugar levels by slowing down digestion and absorption of glucose. It also provides a feeling of fullness, which can help control appetite and maintain a healthy body weight.
Low-Calorie
Strawberries are low in calories, which means they can be consumed without worrying about gaining weight. For every 100 grams of strawberries, there are usually about 30-40 calories. Eating strawberries as snacks can help satisfy appetite and avoid reaching for high-calorie snacks that can negatively affect blood sugar levels.
Growing your own strawberries has numerous advantages that can benefit both our health and the environment. In this article, I will present the most important reasons why it’s worth considering growing these beautiful fruits on your own.😊
1. Freshness and Taste 🍓
Nothing beats the taste of freshly picked strawberries from your own garden. By growing strawberries ourselves, we can be sure that they are the freshest and most delicious. Access to fresh fruits straight from the bush is not only a guarantee of the best Continue reading “Benefits of Growing Your Own Strawberries: Why You Should?”
Growing strawberries in polytunnels is an excellent way to extend the harvest season and protect the plants from adverse weather conditions and pests. For amateur, home cultivation in polytunnels, it’s particularly suitable to choose varieties that are disease-resistant and have good taste properties. Here are a few strawberry varieties that may prove successful in this type of cultivation:
‘Honeoye’: An early variety known for its hardiness and abundant harvests. ‘Honeoye’ strawberries are quite attractive in taste and appearance. Plants of this variety thrive very well in the tunnel.
‘Elsanta’: A very popular variety valued for its large, juicy fruits with excellent taste and appearance. ‘Elsanta’ responds exceptionally well to tunnel cultivation.
‘Clery’: A very early variety yielding sweet, aromatic fruits. ‘Clery’ is also relatively disease-resistant, making it just right for tunnels.
‘Korona’: This variety is known for its large, tasty fruits. ‘Korona’ adapts well to various conditions and is relatively easy to cultivate, even under covers.
Vibrant: A very early variety with long fruiting (up to 60 days) and beautiful, delicious fruits. An excellent choice to plant in a tunnel.
‘Kent’: Characterized by tasty, vividly red fruits with exceptional post-harvest durability. This very fruitful variety is resistant to gray mold and begins to fruit very early in tunnel cultivation.
‘Aprica’: Valued for its tasty and extremely attractive fruits, which are large, shiny, and durable. A fruitful variety that is resistant to many diseases of the leaves and root system, and it loves to grow in a tunnel.
‘San Andreas’: A repeat-flowering variety distinguished by large, shiny, and extremely tasty fruits. In tunnel cultivation, San Andreas fruits from the end of May to late autumn.
‘Ania’: Similar to San Andreas, it fruits from spring until the first frosts. This variety features large, oval, highly shiny, and extremely sweet fruits. Thanks to its relatively high resistance to many diseases, it is quite easy to cultivate, even in tunnels.
Removing flowers from strawberry plants is recommended for spring planting.🍓🌱
Continue reading “Should You Remove Strawberry Blossoms After Planting?”
Slugs can be a problem in strawberry cultivation, as these soft, moisture-loving creatures often feed on the leaves and fruits. There are several methods of combating slugs in strawberry crops that can be applied:
Physical Barriers:
Spread materials around the strawberries that make it difficult for slugs to move, such as ash, sand, fine gravel, or eggshells. Slugs do not like to squeeze through sharp or rough surfaces.
You can also apply special rings or barriers around the plants, made of plastic or metal.
Traps:
Setting traps for slugs is a popular method. The simplest trap is a bowl of beer, buried in the ground so that its edges are at ground level. Slugs are attracted to the smell of beer, fall into the trap, and drown.
You can also use traps purchased at a garden store.
Manual Collection:
Regularly checking the crops in the evening or early morning (slugs are most active at these times) and manually collecting slugs is a simple, but time-consuming method.
Biological Control:
Using natural predators, such as ground beetles or certain species of birds, can help control slug populations.
Introducing entomopathogenic nematodes, which naturally attack slugs, is another biological control method.
Chemical Means:
Chemical agents, such as slug pellets containing metaldehyde or iron phosphate, are effective but should be used with caution, especially in amateur crops. I personally advise against using these types of preparations, but if you decide to use them (they are effective), always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Maintaining Garden Cleanliness:
Removing plant residues, old leaves, and other shelters for slugs will help reduce their population.
Cultivating Repellent Plants:
Planting plants that naturally repel slugs, such as garlic, sage, or plants with a strong scent, near strawberries, can help deter slugs.
Remember to always choose slug control methods that are safe for the environment and do not harm beneficial organisms in your garden. In the case of using chemical agents, always follow the recommendations for their use to ensure that eating our strawberries is safe
On large production plantations, the standard for combating weeds is the use of herbicides. Unfortunately, many studies indicate that they are not indifferent to our health, which is why I advise against their use in amateur strawberry 🍓 cultivation Continue reading “Weeds In Strawberries – How To Deal With Them? Natural Methods”
Of course, you can and definitely should.
Finely ground branches left over from pruning fruit trees can be successfully used as mulch for strawberries🍓 Continue reading “Shredded Twigs as Mulch for Strawberries: Feasibility and Benefits?”
