the garden: strawberries

My first strawberries have arrived! I'm growing just one plant in a pot, which is giving me enough berries to snack on here and there. 

And unfortunately, I think my homegrown strawberries have ruined grocery-store strawberries for me. Seriously, these berries work taste buds I didn't even know I had. 

I bought the plant in May at Home Depot in Northeast. The plants looked like they'd been neglected, so they were on sale for $1.49. I rooted around for the healthiest one I could find with flower buds, and when I got it home, I pruned off the dead leaves, fed it a little Miracle-Gro, set it in the sun, and it perked right back up. 

It's been an easy plant to grow, and here's a planting tip I picked up from my dad: When you put the plant in the ground, bury only the roots, leaving the crown to sit on top of the soil: 

Mine is an everbearing plant, so I'll be getting berries until winter. And strawberries are perennials, so I'm expecting fruit again next year.

I think my biggest challenge with this plant is going to be Woman vs. Nature: getting to the fruit before the birds and critters can find it.