When I went strawberry picking at a local farm last year, I noticed that a lot of the berries and leaves had gotten moldy under the plant. This was not a problem for me when my strawberries were in wine barrels, but now that they had moved into a more permanent home in the new beds it seemed like it would be more of a problem. The key to avoiding this is to create air under the plant by removing any low-lying leaves (anything that is basically laying in the dirt), any buds touching the ground, and any part of the plant that looks damaged or yellowing. Also, be sure to remove anything foreign, like twigs, tree leaves and weeds.

As you can see from the pictures, looking underneath the plants will give you everything from dead leaves to sneaky weeds. And yes, that is some curly parsley thrown in there. Click on the thumbnails to see larger images.