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Garden strawberries with the original name Gariguette appeared at the beginning of the last century. There are several versions regarding the origin of this variety, but most gardeners are inclined to the theory that Gariguette appeared in the south of France. It cannot be said that this strawberry has gained great popularity in Europe, but the variety is valued for its high tasting qualities and is considered a dessert variety. Experts call Gariguette an elite strawberry, which is not suitable for industrial cultivation, but can take its rightful place in the possessions of a gardener-collector.
A description of the Gariguetta strawberry variety, photos and reviews from farmers can be found in this article. Here the strengths and weaknesses of elite strawberries will be indicated, how they need to be grown and what care to provide.
Characteristics of the variety
Probably, for domestic gardeners the most important factor is adaptation to local climatic conditions, because Russia is not the south of France or Italy. In the harsh continental climate, the gentle Gariguette does not feel very well: it does not tolerate low temperatures, temperature fluctuations, high humidity and excessive heat.
Gariguette strawberries are often grown for commercial purposes, but it is recommended to sell them in local markets: restaurants, cafes, and fresh produce markets. Fragile strawberries do not tolerate transportation and long-term storage, so collected Gariguette berries are not suitable for sale in supermarkets or transport over long distances.
Detailed description of the variety Gariguetta (Gariget):
- The ripening time of strawberries is average - the berries ripen at the same time as other mid-early varieties (such as Honey, for example);
- fruiting is extended - fresh strawberries can be harvested for about a month;
- Gariguetta bushes are powerful, highly spreading, have many leaves - this strawberry is easy to recognize among other varieties precisely because of the habit of the bush;
- leaves are carved, large, corrugated, painted in a light green shade;
- the peduncles are very long and powerful, each can form up to 20 berries;
- Gariguetta reproduces very easily, because about twenty whiskers are formed on each bush;
- the root system is powerful, well branched;
- The shape of strawberries is biconical, sometimes it is a truncated cone;
- fruit color is red-orange;
- the weight of the berries allows us to classify them as large - on average, 40 grams (the very first Gariguetta fruits are larger than the last);
- The cut pulp is sugary, with a white core, very aromatic and sweet;
- European gardeners rate the transportability of strawberries as high and average, local producers note that the skin of the fruit is too thin and the berries are poorly suited for storage;
- the taste characteristics of Gariguette are very high, strawberries are classified as dessert varieties, with their own unique taste;
- the variety is resistant to most diseases and pests (in particular, chlorosis and spider mites);
- Gariguetta's yield is not very high, even moderate - about 400 grams per bush (if you use intensive technologies, you can slightly increase these figures).
Advantages and disadvantages
Local gardeners should not be too picky about the Gariguetta variety. This strawberry, indeed, has extraordinary taste (bright aroma, berry aftertaste, balance of acid and sugar, strawberry notes), but in the Russian climate all this may be lost. In order for the variety to retain its natural qualities, it is necessary to create growing conditions for Gariguetta that will be as close as possible to natural ones (the climate of the French southern regions).
Gariguette garden strawberry has several undeniable advantages:
- very good and unique taste - the berries simply melt in your mouth (this is evidenced by the reviews of those who tried it);
- productivity is sufficient for a private garden;
- good planting - seedlings are easy to obtain on your own, you don’t have to spend money on planting material (but you will have to thin out the strawberry beds);
- resistance to diseases and pests.
Unfortunately, Gariguetta strawberries also have disadvantages, and they are especially pronounced when the crop is grown in the Russian climate. The disadvantages of the variety include:
- heterogeneity in the size and shape of berries, which is not very good for trade;
- when summer temperatures are too low, strawberries do not gain weight, the berries become long and narrow (carrot-shaped);
- It is recommended to shade strawberries, as the berries bake under the intense sun;
- In rainy summers, strawberries grow sour and do not reveal all their qualities.
Rules for growing elite strawberries
Of course, without efforts on the part of the gardener, a strawberry variety from a mild temperate climate will not be able to fully adapt to the harsh continental one. However, in the southern and central regions you can try to grow Gariguetta in your own garden. In the north of the country it is already recommended to use greenhouses, film tunnels, heated greenhouses in which the microclimate can be regulated.
In general, the method of growing Gariguette strawberries greatly depends on the climatic characteristics of a particular region.
Planting strawberries
Before planting strawberry seedlings, you need to choose a good place for this:
- with fertile, loose and light soil (Gariguetta, unlike other strawberry varieties, does not like loam and sandy loam);
- with the possibility of natural or artificial shading (in extreme heat, strawberries will need shelter);
- in an area protected from strong winds;
- on flat or slightly elevated terrain (berries rot in lowlands).
In the northern and central regions In cooler climates, it is recommended to plant Gariget on high beds or use special agrofibre and sprinkle the bushes with organic mulch. In regions with a hot climate (Krasnodar Territory, Crimea) It is better to provide for the possibility of shading the strawberry beds, using a net or awning for this.
The planting pattern should be as follows: at least 40 cm between the bushes and 40-50 cm - the interval between the beds. If the plantings are too dense, the strawberries will not reach their full potential, and you need to leave room for the mustache.
How to care
Some seed producers claim that Gariguet strawberries are unpretentious and unpretentious. This may be true in France, but in the climate of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus it is quite difficult to grow a decent harvest of the Gariguette variety.
The best place for these strawberries is a film tunnel. But such cultivation is not profitable for industrial strawberry producers, and ordinary summer residents often do not want to bother with such capricious varieties when there are more unpretentious and adapted ones.
You will have to care for Gariguette strawberries a lot and often:
- Constantly feed beds, because without this, instead of large beautiful berries, small elongated “carrots” will grow. Gariguetta responds well to any fertilizer, both organic and mineral.At the beginning of the growing season, strawberries need nitrogen, and at the stage of flowering and formation of hearths - potassium and phosphorus. In the fall, after harvesting, you can use humus and wood ash.
- Water Strawberries need to be grown intensively, otherwise the fruits will grow small and tasteless. Gariget responds best to drip irrigation. You can also water the bushes through furrows and channels laid directly next to the bushes.
- In cold regions it will be necessary use cover, and in hotter temperatures, stock up on netting or awnings to protect plants from the sun.
- Considering that the flowers and fruits are located low, you need to avoid their ground contact (especially during the rainy season). For this, mulch or agrofibre is used.
- Strawberries need to be processed, even though the variety is considered resistant to diseases and pests. Better to use prophylactic agents, with which the bushes are sprayed even before the flowering phase of garden strawberries.
- Excess mustache will have to be removed, since they will quickly take root and the beds will turn out neglected. The shoots are trimmed in the fall, before covering the strawberries for the winter.
- Gariguetta variety for winter be sure to cover. In most regions, covering the crop with agrofibre or mulch is sufficient, provided that the winter is snowy. Under other circumstances, you will have to take care of more serious protection for strawberries.
In general, a farmer or summer resident will have to be patient - Gariguette by itself will not grow in Russia. But with the right agricultural technology, the taste of this variety will be fully revealed, and the strawberry yield will be above average.
Review of the Gariguette variety
Conclusion
Gariguette strawberries cannot be called a variety for everyone: they are not suitable for every gardener. This crop is too demanding on the composition of the soil and the climate; it needs intensive nutrition and disappears without sufficient care. The unusual and valuable taste of the berry is not revealed in every area; for this you need to create ideal conditions for the strawberries.
However, the Gariget variety also receives good ratings from domestic summer residents: for this to happen, several factors must come together (good location, good soil, favorable climate).
