Hi gang,
The time has come for Sally Strawberry to hang up her commercial strawberry growing gloves. It’s been a wonderful 10 years gang!! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of you and watching the pure strawberry enjoyment on your faces each season. The berries we grew were such a gift and a treat and …. sharing them with you has been such a joy.
Now, it’s time for me to change paths and make new choices. My focus will shift from growing to consulting with new strawberry growers and home gardeners and coaching them to success. I’ve learned so much during the past 10 years! One of my first tasks is to coordinate an order of plants (my special variety) and teach a class on growing berries. There are so many things to know about growing berries in Sonoma County! What I have learned and can share will mean the difference between live, healthy, producing plants or…… zero production – seriously!
For those of you who would rather not or can’t grow berries on your own, I’m working with CA Farmlink to find a new grower of organic berries in our area. Petaluma Bounty has entertained the thought of taking over the production chores but is stretched for resources and is unable to jump into the mix this year.
So…. I’m still looking and putting the word out. I hope to keep our Casa location and mentor a new farmer to provide you with fresh, local berries – maybe in time for the 2010 season. Time is running out so that’s a big, huge maybe.
For those of you wishing to grow the exact same plants as I do in your home garden……
The first thing you DO NOT want to do is purchase plants from a garden center in Dec/Jan/Feb. Even if you get the same variety I use, they will disappoint you. These are fresh dug plants and they will grow but you will have no production. Trust me…. I tried it at home before I became a commercial grower. Dismal failure.
We use a summer planting system and frozen strawberry crowns shipped to us from the commercial nursery. Minimum orders are 1000 plants and they come frozen. I reserved plants at the nursery and can get them for you. You cannot get the same variety, Chandler, to plant at the correct time, anywhere (I checked).
Transplanting for this system happens during the first week in September. I know it’s a short time frame, but I just got the brainstorm to pull this off J
You’ll be ahead of the game if you have your beds prepared and amended, irrigation installed, and ready to pre-water when the plants arrive. If you need instruction on how to do that, no worries – keep reading. I’ll offer a class at the time you pick up your plants to help you prepare. You can keep your plants in the fridge for up to 5 days before transplanting while you prepare your beds.
To go ahead with this I need to order at least 1000 plants to make shipping feasible and in multiples of 1000 thereafter. The cost per plant is 60 cents. Bundles of 10 are $6, 25 for $15, 50 for $30 etc. We space them 12 inches apart so calculate your area/number of plants based on the spacing. If they produce well and Ma Nature is kind with the weather, you can expect about 1 - 2 pint baskets per plant.
IMPORTANT and ASAP
Tag me back if you would like to be included in the order. Pass the word along to friends and family. I’ve enclosed an order form at the end of this message. Just cut and paste it into your reply. If enough folks are interested I’ll move forward with the order. If you want in I’ll need to hear back from you by Sat 8/29 to allow for possible shipping on Wed 9/2 (arrival on Thurs or Fri) or possibly Mon 9/7. The shipping is ALWAYS in flux every year for us. This seems last minute but this is really NORMAL for us. When the plants get here we hit it!! I’m checking with the nursery to see how much time we have before the plants HAVE to be shipped.
If enough folks are interested, I’ll email you back with a confirmation and firm distribution details. If we fall short I’ll send out a blanket email letting you know we didn’t have enough interest.
I plan to distribute plants at the stand the day after they arrive (they have to unthaw so I can break them apart). I’ll set up several times (possibly 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00) so you can schedule time to pick them up. I’ll also offer a “Sally Strawberry Success” berry class at all of the distribution times. The cost of the class is $25 and I’ll provide you with planting instructions, tips, answer any questions you might have, and spill out 10 years worth of growing experience. I want you to SUCCEED!!!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Email: Phone:
# of plants requested___________
Desired pick up time 10:00 12:00 2:00 4:00
Sign me up for the class Yes No Number of people attending ___________
Remember…… the distribution date is in flux right now and entirely dependent on the nursery and shipping coordination. I’ll have firmer details today or tomorrow at the latest. Keep an eye out for my messages J
Cheers!
Sally Strawberry
To be removed from this list send an email with the title "unsubscribe" to sally@sallystrawberry.net.
Carstensen Farms
Look for our berry updates at carstensenfarms.blogspot.com or google "carstensen farms"
Hours:
Casa Grande location 490 Casa Grande Rd (across from Casa Grande High School)
Opening Day April 30th thru June 26 ...... Open daily 10 - 6, closed Tues
June 27 thru July 31 ...... Open 12:30 - sold out Days open/closed TBD follow "Berry Updates"
Aug 1 thru Sept 1 ..... Open at 12:30 till sold out Days open/closed TBD
Sept 2 to end of season ...... as available
