Strawberry bed rotation plan for my 3C garden

[Kaleva]

I currently have strawberries planted in two 8X4 beds. They are really producing well and my wife wants me to plant more. There are two currently unused 7X4 beds which I'll use for that. I've been reading that the beds should be rotated in order to get maximum production and to limit diseases. The four beds will be designated A, B, C and D and the rotation over 5 years will be as follows:

A 7X4 bed
Year 1 Plant beets, after harvest plant strawberry transplants
Year 2 Pinch off flowers and cut runners
Year 3 Harvest strawberries
Year 4 Harvest strawberries
Year 5 Harvest strawberries and discard plants after harvest
Repeat

B 7X4 bed
Year 1 Harvest strawberries and then discard plants after harvest
Year 2 Plant beets, after harvest plant strawberry transplants
Year 3 Pinch off flowers and cut runners
Year 4 Harvest strawberries
Year 5 Harvest strawberries
Repeat

C 8X4 bed
Year 1 Harvest strawberries
Year 2 Harvest strawberries and then discard plants after harvest
Year 3 Plant beets, after harvest plant strawberry transplants
Year 4 Pinch off flowers and cut runners
Year 5 Harvest strawberries
Repeat

D 8X4 bed
Year 1 Harvest strawberries
Year 2 Harvest strawberries
Year 3 Harvest strawberries and discard plants after harvest
Year 4 Plant beets, after harvest plant strawberry transplants
Year 5 Pinch off flowers and cut runners
Repeat

Using 16 inch spacing, I should be able to get 15 plants in each of the 7X4 beds and 18 plants in each of the 8X4 beds.

[dlbell]

1. Getting sweeter strawberries

My uncle had a large pick-your-own strawberry operation for years. His berries were known to be the sweetest around.

His secret? Every year, he or my cousins would go and taste a ripe berry from each plant. If the berry was sweet, they put a marker on the plant. The runners from that plant were then transplanted to new beds for next year's crop. The rest were simply ploughed under.

[Kaleva]

2. I'll try and remember that!

[Bayard]

3. I'm guessing you like strawberries and beets?

[Kaleva]

4. My wife and I love canned beets, pickled and plain.

I figured this plan would be a good way to get some extra production out of the beds.