If you are not starting your strawberry bed on well cultivated ground you will also need a stack of newspapers. You can wet these to make the job simpler, and then spread seven layers of overlapping papers over the entire bed. This will block out any weeds or grass that is below it. You can even start your strawberry plants directly over sod this way. If you already have a weed free plot you can skip the newspaper step.
Next get out your mulching lawn mower and mow your leaf covered lawn, directing the leaves and grass toward the strawberry bed. If the bed is not next to the lawn you will need a rake and a big tarp to carry the leaves and unload them all over the newspapers, or garden soil.
When you have a seven or eight inch layer over the newspapers or soil you can add a thin layer of finished compost, or if no compost is available, use ordinary soil. All the leaves and grass below will providing the rich environment strawberries love.
This is all you will need to do until early spring unless you have a friend giving away extra plants, and you want to plant them right away. If that is the case, simply make a hole in the leaves every two feet down the center of the bed, partly fill with soil or finished compost, and plant your strawberry plants in the soil.
To find out how to keep your strawberry bed producing huge crops every year, read my entire article on Helium: How to grow strawberry plants
You can use the same procedure for preparing a perfect potato patch that grows huge potatoes. Read my article on Helium: Tips for planting potatoes in your garden
