Protect your investment Protected cropping can be as beneficial
for small fruit production as it is for vegetables. Yields of
some berries may be two to three times greater in protected
cultivation than outside in the field. Build customer loyalty by
having fresh fruit first in the spring, long into fall, and by
growing the highest quality berries. Strawberry plants, which
are damaged by temperatures below 12F/-11C, require winter
mulch. Although hay and straw are the traditional mulching
materials, many strawberry growers use row covers because they
require less labor to install and remove. Heavier row covers,
weighing 1.25 oz./sq.yd. or more, are recommended. Fall-bearing
raspberries and blackberries that normally stop producing at the
first frost will continue fruiting for months longer in an
unheated hoophouse. They will fruit again earlier in spring than
those in the field, commanding a much higher sales price.
Strawberry transplants from runners produced over the summer can
be planted in an unheated hoo