Gardener shares easy method for reviving seemingly dead strawberry plants: 'Wouldn't have expected them to come back'

It's a warm summer day, and you step out into your garden to pick perfectly ripe, juicy strawberries. It's a delightful experience, but what happens when the strawberry plants you carefully tended look brown and lifeless after winter? 

Don't toss them yet, says one savvy gardener on TikTok, sharing a super simple method to bring those seemingly dead plants back for another season of delicious harvests.

The scoop

TikToker Beth Bird (@bethsabode) posted her straightforward "Lazy Gardening: Strawberry Revival" technique for plants that spent the winter dormant, perhaps forgotten in a shed like hers were.

@bethsabode How to bring your strawberries back to life after winter #cheapgardenhacks #cottagegardenaesthetic #strawberyplants #gardentutorial ♬ original sound - Beth's Abode | Wedding & Home

Here's Beth's two-step process:

1. Remove old leaves

Gently pull away the dead, crispy leaves from the plant's crown or base. Clearing out most of these leaves will make new growth possible. 

Beth notes that seeing any tiny green shoots emerging is a fantastic sign your plant is ready to thrive again. Bonus tip: Toss those old leaves onto your vegetable beds or into your compost bin to break down naturally for healthier soil.

2. Drench them

Give the plants a thorough watering. Beth mentions you can use a liquid fertilizer feed at this stage, but it's optional. You can always feed them the next time you water too. If your strawberries are in hanging baskets or pots, she recommends refreshing the soil later, once they show signs of revival. To do this, add some fresh compost on top to provide extra nutrients.

Beth said she plans to keep her revived baskets in her greenhouse until the danger of the last frost has passed before moving them outdoors for the summer.

How it's helping

This simple gardening trick is a fantastic way to save money, as you won't need to buy brand-new strawberry plants each year. 

Plus, nothing beats the taste of homegrown strawberries, which are fresher and often more flavorful than store-bought options. Growing your own food, even just a few pots on a balcony, can be incredibly rewarding. 

How often will you be gardening this summer? Every day 🥗 At least once a week 🥕 At least once a month 🌱 I don't garden 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Beyond the delicious results, gardening offers wonderful benefits for your well-being. Spending time tending to plants can reduce stress and anxiety, and it provides easy physical activity. It connects you with nature and the satisfaction of nurturing plants back to life.

Reviving your old plants is also great for the planet. It cuts down on the plastic pots and transportation pollution associated with buying new plants. By composting the old leaves, you're naturally enriching your soil, reducing food waste, and lessening the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Growing food at home also eliminates "food miles" — the distance your food travels to reach your plate, which requires energy that almost inevitably results in pollution — and the packaging that comes with supermarket produce.

What everyone's saying

Viewers appreciated Beth's easy-to-follow advice for rescuing their strawberry plants. The comments section showed appreciation for the timely and practical gardening hack.

"Just come across your video and I'm so thankful," one commenter said. "I have a hanging strawberry plant and noticed some new leaves coming through so was wondering what to do."

"Your greenhouse is really coming together! So cute," another said.

"Wouldn't have expected them to come back," shared a third. "Thanks for this." 

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