No special soil preparation is needed other than the usual tilling of the seed bed for planting or transplanting. Winterizing Strawberries Winter can be a difficult time for strawberries in Kansas. Our plants need time to become adjusted to cold weather and will gradually become more cold resistant as the fall progresses. Strawberry plants are able to withstand colder temperatures in the middle of the winter than in the fall before they have gone through much cold weather. For example, if temperatures suddenly plummet to lower than 20 degrees F before the plants harden to the cold, they can be severely damaged and a drop to 15 degrees F may kill them.
Hardened plants can withstand such temperatures with ease.
This lack of hardening off may be a concern this year due to the unseasonably warm fall. If a sudden drop in temperature to below 20 degrees F is forecast, it may be wise to mulch the plants as you would for the winter. After the cold snap is over, uncover the plants so that they may continue to harden off. Normally, we mulch strawberries for the winter around Thanksgiving time. However, if we continue to stay abnormally warm, give the plants an additional couple of weeks to become cold hardy before mulching.