New strawberry bed this year. Raised bed, black plastic mulch to warm the soil (it's cold here). 100 plants planted.

We just removed all the flowers. That's standard in the first year to help establish strong root systems. It hurts to cut off the potential berries. I was sniveling the whole time.

But it really is worth doing. The plants acted like they'd gotten a shot of fertilizer, shooting up in size.

The plants look great. Now they are happily setting more flowers, which I will have to cut off (sigh). All for the better of future yields.

At any rate, if you wonder if it is really necessary to cut off the blooms the first year while plants get established, the answer is: probably not 100% necessary, but you will for sure get better stronger plants and a better crop in the future.