Ilene,

I am going to start with the ants, because they a huge problem in and of themselves. I am assuming the ants we are discussing are fire ants? I try to garden as organically as possible, but controlling fire ants has been one of the areas for which the organic community has had lots of 'possible' solutions......and none of them worked well for me in the past. I've tried everything from beneficial nematodes to orange oil sprays (Citrex Fire Ant killer), corn meal, grits, garlic-pepper sprays, cedar oil, cedar mulch, mint tea, dried mint leaves, etc.

I have FINALLY found an organic product that works for me in terms of removing fire ants from the raised beds in the veggie garden. The active ingredient is called Serenade and it is effective not only on fire ants but also is very effective when sprayed on tomato plants to reduce foliar fungal and bacterial diseases. The Serenade I use on the tomato plants comes in a spray bottle. The Seremade I use on fire ants comes in a granular formation. I buy the one made by Safer and I think it is called Safer Fire Ant Killer. I have used it this year in my raised beds and it has worked for me.

In the yard area, away from any place that we grow veggies, tree nuts or fruits, I use Over 'N Out. It is amazing. I only have to use it once every 3 or 4 years. I don't like using chemicals, but will use them if needed and IF they provide the desired results. Over 'N Out does work but you cannot use it near anything edible, and it has a long half-life in the soil, so you can't use it in any area where you will eventually grow something edible.

Now, as to the strawberry issues. I think the best plan is to start over with a new bed so that you can begin with NO grass in it. The problem with bermuda grass is that if you leave any stolon that is at least 1/4" long, it will grow and spread and RAPIDLY at that. That is why no amount of digging will get it all....there is always that tiny stray piece here and there that will regrow.

If it were me, I would spray the area where the new bed will be with Round-Up or a similar glyphosate and give it time to work. I would lay down either cardboard or several layers of newspaper to help smother any grass that tried to regrow and lay down the good-quality heavy-duty weedblock fabric on top of that. I would build the bed on top of that. You DO need to have the fabric extend outside the edging of the bed or grass will creep up INSIDE between the fabric and bed edging.

If it were me, I would extend the fabric out a foot or two from the bed, cover it with mulch, and maintain it as a pathway around the raised bed. At the edge of the fabric, I would use that metal green landscape edging to keep grass from creeping into the mulched path AND to help keep the mower from hitting the edge of the fabric or the mulch.
It is a lot of extra work, but as you already know, it is easier to prevent bermuda grass than it is to remove it once it infiltrates an area.

As far as holding the strawberries over in the fridge or freezer, I don't know how long they can be held in cold storage, but I think it is possible to hold them for months, although perhaps not desirable.

I made the decision years ago (after growing strawberries) that growing strawberries in our climate required more time and effort than I was willing to give them in light of the fact that I have a huge veggie garden, fruit trees, nut trees and lots of acreage to maintain. You may want to consider whether strawberries are worth the time and money you will have to invest in them in comparison to the size of the harvest you get. On the other hand, if growing your own gives you great joy, then go for it!

Dawn

You know, Dawn, you've got a good point there. When it's all said and done, I bet I spend a lot more money on the strawberries I grow than if I just bought several flats of them when they were in season. Not to mention the time.

I've been keeping the grass at bay in the other beds by mulching with grass clippings and that has worked pretty well. We generally till these beds every spring, right before planting.

Thanks for the information on ant killers. DH is going to Lowe's today, I'll have him look for both of them. We have ants EVERYWHERE. The other day they got on my head and I had to go wash my hair to get rid of them. I was kind of freaked out about it. Now my scalp itches in spots and I think maybe I have bites.

DH and I have been discussing how much easier it would be just to relocate the bed, and I'm leaning towards cutting it in half, both in length and in width, making two, more manageable, beds. I have a spot where they would fit, it is between my house and my shed so is kind of a protected area, but still gets plenty of sun. The soil is really clayish there, and there was a tree there that we cut down and had them get rid of the stump with one of those "stumpeaters". But the tree roots are all over the place. I have a hard time getting anything to grow there except some hibiscus that grows up against the shed. So maybe two small raised beds there would be just the ticket!

You would put the cardboard down BEFORE you put down the landscape cloth, then? I have some of that black plastic/vinyl garden edging, would that do as well as the metal edging?

Thanks for the good advice. It'll be awhile before the grass dies and maybe by that time it'll be cool enough to do something. Oh, and I'm thinking about going out there now and sowing some alfalfa seed or some black-eye peas for a green manure in that bed, as I'll be moving that dirt into the new beds. Do I till it in during the fall or wait for spring?