Q. Looking at gardening catalogs this winter has me interested in growing strawberries. I'm wondering what sort of location in my yard would be best for strawberry plants and if there are specific varieties you would recommend. Does my soil need any special preparation to produce well?

A. Strawberries are one of the most commonly grown fruits in the home garden and make an easy addition to the vegetable garden because they share many of the same requirements. They require full sun (at least six hours a day) and well-drained, reasonably fertile soil that has been amended with organic matter (compost or aged manure). Because they prefer a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.5, do a soil test prior to planting. Soil test kits are available from your local extension office. For details, see the end of the column.

Strawberries are a perennial crop and should be given their own space where they will not be disturbed by annual tilling. They should not be grown where tomatoes, peppers, eggplants or potatoes have been grown in the past. These crops are susceptible to verticillium wilt, as are strawberries, and this soil-borne disease can persist in the soil for many years.

Strawberries are classified as June-bearing, day-neutral or everbearing. June-bearers produce the largest fruits and are the type most commonly grown by commercial growers and home gardeners. They are best grown in beds and should remain productive for about five years. These types initiate flower buds during the relatively short days of fall that will bloom and produce fruit the following year. June-bearers produce a single crop from early June through July, depending on the cultivar. They produce lots of runners and daughter plants.

Day-neutral types initiate flower buds regardless of day length and produce three flushes of fruit: one in June, one mid-July into August, and a third from late August until frost. They do not produce as many runners and daughter plants as June-bearers. Day-neutrals can be grown in layered beds known as pyramids, small raised beds or even containers (think strawberry jar). Day-neutral plants should be replaced every three years.

Everbearing types bear two crops through the growing season. Penn State's fruit specialists recommend June-bearing and day-neutral varieties over everbearing types for Pennsylvania gardeners.

You can choose early, mid-season and late varieties of June-bearers to spread the harvest over a longer period. 'Earliglow' is one of the best early varieties in our area. 'Surecrop' gets high marks for an early mid-season variety. 'Jewel' is a popular late mid-season bearer, and 'Ovation' is touted as "the best late season berry" by Penn State's fruit specialists. There are many more cultivars of June-bearers you may wish to try; just make sure they are labeled as resistant to red stele and verticillium wilt. These are the two most serious diseases of strawberries in Pennsylvania.

If you are interested in day-neutral varieties, 'Tribute' and 'Tristar' have been reliable here and 'Seascape' is new variety that has gotten high marks.

Strawberry plants are often available at local garden centers, or they can be ordered from a number of mail order catalogs, including Daisy Farms (www.daisyfarms.net), Hartmann's Plant Co. (www.hartmannsplantcompany.com/index.html), Indiana Berry and Plant Co. (www.indianaberry.com), Jersey Asparagus Farms (www.jerseyasparagus.com), Jung Seed Co. (www.jungseed.com), Miller Nurseries (www.millernurseries.com), and Nourse Farms (www.noursefarms.com).

Once you receive your plants, keep them in a cool, shady area or in your refrigerator until planting. Most are shipped bare-root. Strawberries can be planted in spring as soon as you can work the soil -- usually sometime in April. Soak the roots in water for a half-hour just before you plant them. June-bearers should be planted 18-24 inches apart in rows that are 36 inches apart. Since day-neutral varieties do not produce as many runners, they can be spaced much closer together, 5-9 inches apart. They should be planted so the roots are completely covered with soil, but crowns are just at the soil surface. Build a cone of soil in the bottom of each hole and spread the roots over it rather than jamming a tangled mass of roots into a small hole.

Water well after they are planted, then mulch day-neutral varieties with 4 inches of clean straw. They are extremely sensitive to fluctuations in soil moisture. June-bearers are mulched in December with the same amount of straw to keep them from heaving out of the ground during winter's freeze-thaw cycles and to protect the plants from extreme cold.

In the first year after planting, getting strawberry plants well established is the first order of business. Remove all of the blossoms from June-bearers for the first year. Remove blossoms from day-neutral varieties from planting through early July. Simply pinch them off between your forefinger and thumb. Subsequent blossoms on day-neutrals can be left in place and allowed to produce fruit.

It is also important to keep strawberries watered during hot, dry weather, to get them established and to ensure good production and fruit size in future years. An inch or 1 1/2 inches of water weekly that wets the soil 4-6 inches deep encourages the establishment of a deep root system. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are the most efficient ways to water. They keep water off the foliage, reducing the incidence of certain diseases. Do not overwater during fruit formation because too much water will dilute the sugars and give berries a bland taste.

Penn State's fruit specialists recommend fertilizing June-bearers with 2 pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 feet of row about a month after planting and again in late August. In future years, June-bearers should be fertilized during renovation, after they have borne a crop of fruit. Fertilization during fruit production causes the berries to be very soft.

Since day-neutral varieties are productive over a longer period, it makes sense to spread fertilizer applications over a longer period. That recommendation is for 1 pound of ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) per 100 feet of row once a month from June through Sept. 1. Organic gardeners can substitute an organic fertilizer such as Espoma's Garden Tone (4-6-6), Bradfield Organics Blood Meal (13-0-0), Bradfield Organics All Purpose 5-5-5 or Nature Safe's 13-0-0 Blending Base Fertilizer. Always apply fertilizers when the plants are dry and brush fertilizer granules off the foliage when you are finished to avoid burning the leaves.

The final task for the first year is to mulch June-bearers in December -- after the ground freezes. Four inches of clean straw is recommended. Apply the mulch evenly, and break up large clumps to avoid smothering individual plants. To avoid leaf yellowing, pull back the mulch in early spring -- from mid-March to early April -- once we are past danger of hard frost. Pull the mulch into rows or alongside the bed where it can be pulled back over the plants in a hurry if late frost is predicted. It also serves as a bed for the developing fruits to keep them out of the mud.

In following years, immediately after the June-bearers have produced their crop, the bed(s) must be renovated. This involves removing plants that have rooted outside of the defined rows and thinning plants in the rows to allow for good air circulation and maximum sun exposure for each plant. Start by weeding the bed, and narrowing the planted rows to 6-12 inches. Remove 3- or 4-year-old mother plants and replace them with vigorous runner or daughter plants. Trim the leaves off by hand or set your mower up as high is it goes to mow them off. Avoid cutting into the crowns. Fertilize with 5 pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 feet of row, and irrigate as needed to apply an inch of water a week during dry periods. Day-neutral strawberries should not be renovated.

In Allegheny County, consumer soil test kits are $12 each or $9 for each additional kit ordered. The kit contains a mailing bag and complete directions for taking a good sample and understanding your soil test results. Your only additional charge is the postage. The kits can be obtained by sending a check payable to Penn State Cooperative Extension to: 400 N. Lexington St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Write Attn. Soil Test Kit in the lower left corner.