Stop buying strawberries. Use these 7 brilliant tips to grow them at home instead

Strawberries are synonymous with summer. These sweet juicy fruits find their way into endless lunch boxes, salads, and bowls of oatmeal during those warm sunny months. But, if you love tossing these fruits into just about everything this time of year, you know how pricey your obsession can get.
Lucky for you, growing strawberries isn't all that difficult. If you give this plant what it needs to thrive, you can expect to harvest lots of fruit throughout the season. Everything tastes better when you know it came right from the garden, right? Check out the following 7 tips:
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1. Get the right pH balance
Your strawberry plant needs the right soil to grow big and produce juicy fruits. To do this, your pH should be between 5.5 and 7.
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2. Allow for the right amount of sunlight
The Almanac explains that strawberry plants need 6-10 hours a day of direct sunlight. So before you start digging, it's important to find a spot that is going to get enough sunlight to feed your strawberry plant.
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3. Make sure the area has drainage
Strawberry plants need to be planted in an area where the soil can drain. If it gets too saturated, the plant won't do well. A good solution is using a raised bed.
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4. Remember to weed
Your strawberry plant is very susceptible to weeds. Don't let these invasive plants suck the nutrients out of the soil and hurt your fruit and be sure to pick them every week.
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5. Give your plants room to grow
Make sure to plant your strawberry plants at least 20 inches apart, and to leave 4 feet between rows. This is to ensure the roots have the proper room to grow and each plant can grow nice and big.
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6. Don't plant your strawberries in the same spot every year
If you want to get bigger and juicier fruits every year, make sure to practice crop rotation. Move your plant around and be sure not to plant it in the same spot where you grew strawberries, tomatoes, peppers or eggplant the year before.
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7. If you want the best strawberry plant, don't grow fruit the first year
If you let your strawberry plant focus on growing its roots rather than growing fruit the first year, you can ensure that your plant will bear beautiful fruit year after year. To do this, simply cut or pick off your blossoms the first year. We're telling you -- it's worth the wait!
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