Article: Look for a spot that will give your strawberry bush 6-10 hours of direct sunlight a day. The soil should absorb water easily as well. Avoid any areas where there is standing water. To test the drainage of the soil, dig a 12 by 12 inches (30cm 30cm) hole and fill it with water. The next day, fill it again with water and test how long it takes to drain. Ideally, it should drain about 13 inches (2.57.6cm) an hour. Do not plant the strawberries in an area where you have grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, or eggplants in the past 4 years, as these may spread fungus to your plants. Get a soil testing kit from a local nursery or county extension office. Follow the instructions on the label to learn the pH. The soil should be slightly acidic. If the pH of your soil is wrong, you will need to amend it. If the pH is too low, mix lime or small amounts of dolomitic limestone into the soil. If the pH is too high, add sulfur or peat moss into the soil. As soon as the ground is no longer frozen, and you do not expect another frost, you can plant strawberries. This is usually in March or April, although you should look up the frost dates for your area. You should be able to easy dig through the soil with a trowel. If the ground is still hard, wait a few weeks. The soil should be dry. If it rains, wait a few days before trying to plant the strawberries. Generally, the hole will be between 48 inches (1020cm) deep, depending on how long the roots are. If the plant is in a pot, use the pot as a guideline for how deep the hole should be. Remove the strawberry from its original pot, being careful to keep the roots intact. Place the roots in the soil. Push soil over the roots so that the tops are just covered. Water the plant immediately. Only cover the roots with soil. The crown (or thick green stem) should remain above the soil. If you have more than 1 row of strawberry plants, keep the rows 4 feet (1.2m) apart. This gives the plants plenty of room to sprawl and grow.
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Choose a sunny, well-draining spot in your garden. Look for soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Plant the strawberries after the last frost in March or April. Dig a hole that is deep and wide enough for the roots. Move the strawberry plant from the pot into the hole. Place each strawberry plant 20 inches (51cm) away from each other.