Brassicas and Strawberries--NOT!

by Carlotta
(Weymouth, MA)

I've been companion gardening for 4 years now but didn't know, and found out the hard way last year, that strawberries and brassicas don't partner well!

My strawberries which were already established and had done well in previous years, scarcely put out any fruit, maybe 8 small berries in all, last year. At the time, I chalked it up to a very long, cold, rainy spring.

The brussels sprouts, a new crop for me, and the broccoli, whose seedlings had been given to me by my sister, who knows what she is doing and had given them a good start, were wimpy and struggling after I planted them, though I fertilized often and planted companion herbs.

Finally at the end of the season I figured out that I had partnered two warring Superpowers! Wish I had a photo for you, it would make my point very clearly!

This year, my strawberries are already doing better. Nice, shiny leaves, and in Zone 5-6, late April, bearing their first blossoms. I removed the brassicas by the root last winter, and have replaced them with alliums--plants fom the onion family--and spinach.

My brassicas are still in peat pots, some in the ground with pepsi bottle cloches to protect from the wind which is strong where I live, with the rest doing very well so far in a little mini greenhouse on wheels that I'm using to harden them outside and give them direct sun. Brassicas will be interplanted with beets, friendly flowers and alliums in a bigger bed than they got last year, and I'm hoping to have enough of a crop to share with the local food bank in the fall.

After taking a class on nutrient density at Brix Bounthy Farm in Dartmouth, MA, I am using a souped-up potting mix for seedlings with molasses, fish emulsion and beneficial microorganisms. Before potting, I soak all seeds in rolled up paper towel till they sprout, (hats off to my green thumbed sister, Ellie in Vermont!) and use spirulina in the soak water.

The soil where I live was very poor when I moved here in 2005. What I learned at Brix is to fertilize intensely around the transplant going in rather than spread compost all over the whole bed, so the nutrients get right where they need to go and I'm using my resources economically.

Hope my experiences are useful for others! I wish everyone a bountiful season and many happy hours in the garden!!