In Russia, strips of shelter plants are sometimes grown between the rows of strawberries, so that at the end of the growing season the first frosts will kill off the tops of these plants which then fall and cover the strawberry plants like a mulch, and help to retain a protective snow cover through the winter. An account is given of the performance of oats, barley, rape, and mustard sown as shelter plants between the rows of Redgauntlet strawberries, with details of the snow accumulation and of the strawberry yields. The shelter plants did depress the growth of the strawberry plants somewhat, but had little or no effect on fruit yields, and also significantly reduced weed growth.
