Starting Over with a Little Sparkle

“It just seems wrong to pull up the strawberry plants,” I said to Ron.

“Sometimes, you just have to start over,” he said.

Strawberry plants only produce strawberries for three to five years. Our beds of Sparkle strawberries managed to make it five years, though the berries were definitely smaller this year. We probably should have pulled them last year, but it seems so wrong to pull plants (just thinning in the garden breaks my heart). Still, this year, there was no avoiding it.

I read that you can plant new strawberries in the late summer and early fall and get strawberries the next spring. In the past, we have planted in the spring and would have to go a season without berries, as you have to pull the flowers and give the plants time to get established before you let them make berries. I hope this fall-planting plan works because going a year without strawberries just feels impossible to me at this point. I mean, just look at this picture of our berries from 2022. How can I go a year without this?

It was a sad thing to do though–ripping out the plants. Because we just let the weeds go after strawberry season, when we were clearing out the beds last week, there were also about a million weeds. And, within those weeds and strawberry plants, a whole world of wildlife was living. There were worms and spiders and so many magnificent frogs. As we stripped each bed of its habitat, I felt most worried about the frogs. I met five frogs in total that day, and as each one hopped away, Ron distracted the ducks. One time, I saw what ducks will do to a frog, and I never want to see that again.

When I looked at the empty beds, there was a great deal of sadness, but I really wanted more strawberries next summer, I tried to think about the good things that would be coming from starting over.

I had a hard time finding strawberry plants so late in the summer. I could find some but not the kind I wanted–Sparkle.

When I found out the places in Maine and Vermont where we had bought plants in previous years didn’t have Sparkle, I figured I would have to settle for a different variety of berries, but as I read about all the other varieties available, none of them seemed as good as the Sparkle variety. Sparkle strawberries are sturdy for Maine but are also known for fantastic flavor and shape. How could I settle for anything less when I’ve already had Sparkle?

Thankfully, I found Sparkle berries at an Etsy shop. After we cleared the beds, Ron replenished the soil with compost, and then I spent the next two days planting. The plants were beautiful, and only a few looked a little “iffy” in terms of making it. The kind seller sent extra plants, and I managed to squeeze in every last one, even the few that looked a little rough. I hoped for the best.

I am happy to report that every single one of those plants seems to be making it, and we are getting to start over with 127 beautiful Sparkle strawberry plants!

The starting over with the strawberries feels so symbolic to me right now. After a summer of long COVID, our whole family is making progress. Our crashes are rarer and less intense. We are able to get more things done and enjoy life more, and that’s just the best. I haven’t had to crawl up the stairs in over a month, and I haven’t slurred my words in at least two weeks. And my son is gradually returning to his cello, and my heart is joyful.

Interestingly, his teacher is teaching him the Hadyn Cello Concerto No. 1, and I swear, it’s so joyful–and sparkly. It has been so uplifting listening to him work through the first part of that concerto every evening.

And with all of this hopefulness in the air, I have good news to share. I am planning to bring back Farmer-ish journal next year. In fact, in the coming weeks, the website is going to either go down or look very wonky, as I work to update the site. Hopefully, taking the lessons I have learned and starting over will lead to a little sparkle there too.

In the meantime, I’m watching those strawberry plants and listening to Haydn on the cello every day because, sometimes, you just gotta start over.