Strawberry Yields Forever

by Lee LeFever | Jul 23, 2024 | Food, Garden

Doe Bay Resort is on the other side of Orcas Island and may as well be on a different island. It takes over 45 minutes to drive there, so I rarely visit. That’s not to say it’s unworthy. The resort and grounds are beautiful, with seaside lodging (yurts, cabins, domes) and a clothing-optional spa. The vibe is, shall we say, back to the earth. 

The resort restaurant, Doe Bay Cafe, is a favorite and in the restaurant hangs this sign: 

I took that photo in 2018. We had just purchased property on Orcas and were in the thick of planning Flattop. The sign struck me because it felt so fundamental, and at the same time, far away. We were in the process of moving from Seattle and a year from razing the yurt-shaped house. Few things in our life were stable enough to focus on yielding anything. 

The term “obtain a yield” is well-known in the world of permaculture.

“This principle is like an order. Make sure that every time you design a house, garden, park, or school, it includes elements that will provide real tangible yields. The yields could be food, fibers, or fuels, but there needs to be something.”

This is our fourth summer at Flattop on Orcas Island and our farming game is improving. Each year, we (mostly Sachi) conduct little experiments in the garden with the hopes of finding a secret code that unlocks our little microclimate. The job is never done and that’s part of the fun.

We’ve had strawberries for the last few years and they’ve become a summer favorite. Just before spring this year, Sachi dug up all of last year’s plants, amended the soil, and replanted. Then, in the spring, she thinned the leaves, which allowed the plant to get more sun and fresh air.

The strawberry experiment seems to have worked. Starting in early June, I became the strawberry collector and protector. The birds were eating into my yield, so we covered the beds with netting. From there, the berries flowed. At first, there were a few a day, then dozens, then over 80 in one day. I tracked them all and looked for ways to use them.

I couldn’t help but make a graph.

We had 661 when I stopped counting.

I made syrups, infused liquors, dehydrated, macerated, and gobbled them daily. They were delicious and I felt something stirring in the back of my mind. This wasn’t a handful of strawberries, it was strawberry production and I had hard data on the matter. 

You were here when we built the beds and filled them with soil and plants. You were here when we stumbled through. This year, the systems are working better and we are obtaining a yield. I’m already thinking about next year’s strawberries and what we’re learning now that will make the crop even more productive.

After all, you can’t work on an empty stomach.