Actually what you see is just the last of the blossoms. Most of the fruit is already set. We had a snowpack for 3 months straight last winter. Strawberry farmers around here say that a deep snowpack means a good strawberry season.

Ed, did you notice last year how long it took them to fully ripen once they started showing a little color?

There's a pot or a tiered bed of some kind under there LOL?

Yeah, it's one of those 3 tiered thingys. Once the berries show a little color they ripen really fast, like a few days or so.

Thanks = I guess I'll be picking this week then? Though I haven't noticed any progression, still just a little color at the tips of some berries, even after 3 almost-90 degree days. Rain today, sunny 75 tomorrow and then low 40's tomorrow night so I hope they'll be OK.

Wild strawberries are almost past.

I have ladscaping with various perenial flowers and bushes on the southside of my house. Two years ago, in an effort to switch to an edible landscape, I planted 4 strawberry plans in the shredded hardwood mulch around the perenials. This year I have harvested about three gallons of strawberries. The squirrels and birds may have got about the same. Easy to maintain, but spreads like wildfire.

You're not kidding they spread. The first year we must have pruned about 1000 runners from 50 plants in an effort to control them. 2 years ago we planted 1 small growing top from a single strawberry purchased at the market. It survived and grew and we now have about 20 plants from it.