Growing strawberries in the ground：overwinter outdoor-grown strawberries (strawberry winter care)
Growing strawberries in organic farming. It has been approximately 40 days since planting the strawberries. (Japanese Houkou-wase strawberry) As late November approaches, strawberries also require winter care and management. (The overwintering process for outdoor-grown strawberries.)
https://www.vege-try.net/en/plant-strawberry-seedlings-enOverwintering strawberries involves exposing them to winter cold. By subjecting strawberries to the winter cold for a certain period, they enter a dormant state. Strawberries grow back vigorously when the weather warms again in the spring. (During dormancy, strawberries store nutrients in their roots.)
Remove the mulch to expose the strawberries to the cold. The reason for removing the mulch is to overwinter the strawberries in a colder environment. (The mulch is placed to protect and insulate the soil, so removing it weakens the soil’s insulation function, creating a 'colder’ environment.)
In the case of field-grown strawberries, they will overwinter exposed to the winter cold winds. There may be concerns that it’s too cold, and the strawberries might wither during winter, but don’t worry, they will be fine. Strawberries are naturally cold hardy and will survive mildly freezing temperatures.
The area around the holes in the mulch is near the base of the strawberry plants. As the area contains dense strawberry roots and leaves, take care to remove the mulch gently to avoid causing any damage.
The removed mulch will be used again after strawberry dormancy, so roll it up and keep it together. (The mulch will be placed back on the strawberries again around late January to early February, after their winter dormancy.)
The insect netting that was placed over the strawberries will not be used until after dormancy, so fold it in half. (Compactly gather the excess insect netting.)
With this, the wintering process for strawberries (Houkou-wase strawberries) is complete.
Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.