Gallons??? How many plants do you have? I'm in Virginia and getting about a pint a day for the last week. I don't remember whether I started with 25 plants or 50, but some have died and some have spread. This is the third year and I read somewhere that I'm supposed to tear them all out and start over with new plants, but I don't have the heart to. I've got one of those three-level pyramid gardens.
Yes, gallons. I pick them in a 3 quart bucket so I can keep track and because the bucket has a handle I can handle it easily. This size bucket also does not hold too many berries so the berries on the bottom do not get mashed.
I could only give you a wild guess about how many plants I have. Probably over 500 and could well be near a 1000. I started my little berry patch in 1998 on my deck with 25 plants. In 2003 I redid the patch and attempted to get some order as the runners and new plants starting from seeds were a solid mass and no where to walk.
Last fall I started a clean out once again of the mass, but this time because of not only needing order, I had a variety of weeds move in and it was just easier to dig every thing up and start over. I still have some areas that need dug up and IF it ever dries out enough I have made 4 new rows to give these berries a new home.
I always wanted to have one of those three-level pyramid gardens. But with the number of plants I have I would need several. Yes, I have read that after two years of bearing the plant dies out. But by that time with the runners they have produce several new plants, which is why I have so many plants.
I have over the years introduced some new plants where there was bare ground, and I know new plants have germinated from seed. Now that was a great surprise to me that you could start strawberry plants from seed, but it is true and I have come across several new strawberry plants not much more than an inch tall as I was picking.
I do not know why you would have to start with new plants, as every time a runner sets a plant that is a new plant. The old plant usually has a woody stick like root, where as the newer plants have free flowing root system. So while you may need to remove all the plant and start again I would think you could use the new plants to replace the old ones. But I do not have a 'degree' in strawberry planting, I have just learned what I know from my experiences.