Strawberry Holiday

The overseas variety is distinguished by resistance to adverse weather conditions, unpretentious care. This is a late maturing plant. Large dessert strawberries turn red in late summer when other varieties have finished bearing fruit. High yield and excellent taste immediately won the recognition of gardeners. Included in the State Register since 1992. Holiday became the ancestor of many popular varieties.

Not to be confused with the Holiday yellow remontant.

Bred in the USA by crossing Raritan and New York varieties.

Bushes are compact, tall, erect, moderately leafy. Large, light green leaves with slight pubescence have slight wrinkling. Peduncles are low, strong, located on the same level with the leaves. The inflorescences are large with a large number of flowers. The flowering is profuse and constant. The whiskers are slightly formed.

The berries appear in late June or early August. The first ones are large and wide, the subsequent berries grow smaller and differ in a conical shape.

It is recommended to grow Holiday strawberries in the North-West and Central regions of the Russian Federation, in the Urals and the North Caucasus.

The species is considered to be high-yielding. From one bush, under favorable conditions, about 1.5 kg are harvested per season. Young plants give a higher yield, after a year or two, its number decreases. The beds must be regularly updated. Gardeners are advised to use compacted growing technology to increase yields.

The first wave consists of large berries with ridge-shaped tops. The average weight of a berry is 32 g, the largest ones can reach 60 g. The following batches ripen in smaller sizes, on average about 11-12 g. Strawberries are characterized by a pronounced aroma. Dense bright red glossy skin, aromatic dark orange pulp, juicy and very sweet, with a slight sourness, contains vitamin C.

The unpretentious variety of Holiday strawberries is suitable for novice gardeners.

Drought resistance is considered one of the main advantages of it, but it must be borne in mind that with a regular lack of water, the taste and quality of berries will decrease. It is advised to water the bushes in moderation, with an excess of moisture, the berry pulp becomes tasteless and watery.

Watering is carried out in special furrows between the planted rows, but not inside the bush. A drip irrigation system is often organized. A productive variety requires abundant feeding. With timely watering and fertilization, the culture will delight with a plentiful and tasty harvest. Mustaches and stepchildren must be constantly trimmed, except for plants left for seedlings.

It can be grown, regardless of the season, at home on a windowsill in a container with a height of 15 cm.

The soil for the Holiday variety should have neutral acidity, be light and permeable to air and moisture, and fertile. The plot is selected in a draft-protected, flat, sunny place. The culture quickly depletes the soil, so it is recommended to make a new bed in a new place in 3-4 years.

Two weeks before planting, the soil is cleared of weeds, dug up, peat, humus, compost, lime, river sand are introduced. If the soil is heavy and clayey, add more porous compounds, if acidic, add lime or chalk. The bushes are planted in a row with an interval of 30 cm, between rows - 40 cm. The frequency of watering depends on the density of the soil: water more often in loose soil, less often in denser soil. To preserve moisture, a layer of mulch is laid.

Strong flower stalks are of medium height, they have compact inflorescences with bisexual flowers. It is a self-fertile variety: pollination takes place without the participation of another variety of strawberries. Flowering period occurs 2-3 weeks later than the main varieties.

Fertilizers are applied three times per season: in spring - during the period of active growth of leaves, in summer - during flowering and fruit setting, in autumn - after picking berries. It is recommended to choose organic fertilizers - wood ash, compost, humus, mullein.

For the winter, the bushes are covered with peat, covered with straw or hay, needles or pine spruce branches are laid on top.

Strawberries have a high resistance to fungal diseases, with the exception of gray rot and verticillary wilting. For their prevention, they are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or safe fungicides, the soil is regularly mulched.Of the pests, one must be wary of the strawberry mite. Treatment is carried out by spraying with "Fufanon" or "Neoron".

Birds love to feast on juicy strawberries, scarecrows and rattles are used against them, the beds are covered with light nets. Slugs will be scared away by parsley and carrots planted between the rows, nematodes - onions, garlic, marigolds.

Holiday is most often propagated vegetatively - by young bushes, which are formed at the ends of the first whiskers of biennial or annual plants. Dividing a bush is often used when transplanting from an old garden to a new place.

A less efficient and more laborious method is seed propagation. The first berries will appear only two years after planting, and the percentage of seed germination depends on the quality of the seed and the skill of the gardener.

Nurseries and shops offer to purchase ready-made varietal seedlings - this is a reliable way to update the culture on the site.

Gardeners call among the advantages the high yield of strawberries, excellent taste and simple agricultural technology. The variety is practically not sick. Many appreciated the late fruiting period - all the strawberries have long finished bearing fruit, and Holiday pleases the owners with fragrant berries.

Not all gardeners like the fact that smaller fruits begin to ripen behind the first very large berries. One of the main disadvantages of the culture is the complexity of breeding - the plant produces few new whiskers. Some note that the plant sometimes suffers greatly from the strawberry mite.