Buzz
Strawberries are versatile plants that not only produce delicious fruit but also add aesthetic value to your garden. With proper care, these plants can yield abundant harvests of beautiful red berries for up to five years. Instead of growing from seeds, strawberries are typically propagated using young plants or runners. Purchase these from a nursery and plant them in your garden or pots, and you’ll enjoy a bountiful strawberry season the following year.
Steps to Follow
Selecting Strawberry Plants
Purchase young strawberry plants or runners from a nursery. You can find potted plants or runners at gardening stores or order them online. Potted plants are already rooted and slightly more mature, often producing fruit in the first year, though a full harvest may take until the second year. Runners, which are cheaper, are long-rooted offshoots from existing plants. These take longer to establish and may delay fruit production.
Opt for June-bearing strawberries if you desire a large harvest once a season. This variety produces the most fruit but only yields once a year, typically in June. It’s ideal if you plan to preserve or freeze strawberries after harvesting.
- Popular June-bearing varieties include Earliglow, Seneca, and Allstar. Consult your local nursery or agricultural extension office to determine which variety thrives best in your region.
Choose everbearing strawberries for two harvests annually. These plants bear fruit in both spring and fall, offering an additional harvest each year, though the yield per season is smaller compared to June-bearing varieties.
- Examples of everbearing strawberries include EverSweet and Ozark Beauty.
Select day-neutral strawberries for a steady, year-round harvest. These plants can produce fruit continuously in temperatures between 2-29°C, though each harvest yields fewer berries.
- Common day-neutral varieties are Tristar and Tribute.
Planting Strawberries in the Garden
Choose a sunny, well-drained location. Strawberry plants require 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily. Ensure the soil has excellent drainage and avoid areas prone to waterlogging.
- To test drainage, dig a 30x30 cm hole, fill it with water, and check the drainage rate the next day. Ideally, the hole should drain 2.5-7.5 cm of water per hour.
- Avoid planting strawberries in areas where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, or eggplants have grown in the past four years, as these crops can spread fungal diseases to strawberries.
Select soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Purchase a soil testing kit from a local nursery or agricultural extension office and follow the instructions to check the pH level. Strawberries thrive in slightly acidic soil.
- Adjust the soil if the pH is unsuitable. If the pH is too low, mix in lime or a small amount of dolomitic limestone. If the pH is too high, add sulfur or peat moss to the soil.
Plant strawberries after the last frost in March or April. Once the ground is no longer frozen and frost forecasts have passed, it’s safe to plant strawberries. This typically occurs in March or April, but always confirm the last frost date for your area.
- The soil should be soft enough to dig easily with a shovel. If it’s still hard, wait a few more weeks.
- Ensure the soil is dry. If it has rained recently, wait a few days before planting.
Dig a hole deep and wide enough to accommodate the root system. Generally, the hole should be 10-20 cm deep, depending on the root length. If using potted plants, dig a hole matching the depth of the pot.
Transfer the strawberry plant from the pot to the hole. Handle the plant carefully to avoid damaging the roots. Place the root ball into the hole and cover it with soil, ensuring the roots are fully covered. Water the plant immediately after planting.
- Only cover the roots with soil. The crown (the thick, green stem) should remain above the ground.
Space each strawberry plant about 50 cm apart. If planting multiple rows, keep them 1.2 meters apart. This spacing allows the plants to spread and grow effectively.
Growing Strawberries in Pots
Choose a wide pot with drainage holes at the bottom. The pot should have a diameter of about 40-45 cm to allow the plant to grow properly. Ensure the pot has drainage holes to prevent waterlogging.
Fill the bottom third of the pot with small bottles, pebbles, or broken pottery pieces. Cover these with garden fabric. This step improves drainage. Since strawberry roots are shallow, the entire pot doesn’t need to be filled with soil.
- This also makes the pot lighter and easier to move if necessary.
Fill the remaining space in the pot with potting soil. Use a general-purpose potting mix with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Leave space for planting the strawberry plant. Optionally, add compost to enrich the soil.
- The pH level is usually indicated on the soil mix packaging.
Transfer the strawberry plant into the pot. Gently move the plant from its old container to the new pot. Loosen the soil around the roots without disturbing them. Place the plant in the hole and cover the roots with soil.
- Ensure the crown remains above the soil level. Only the roots should be covered.
- If planting multiple plants in one large pot, space them 25-30 cm apart.
Place the pot in a sunny location. Strawberry plants require 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily. Position the pot in your garden, on a patio, or on a balcony where it can receive ample sunlight. During winter, bring the pot indoors and place it near a sunny window.
- If natural sunlight is insufficient indoors, consider using a grow light to supplement the plant’s needs.
Caring for Strawberry Plants
Water the plants regularly. Provide approximately 2.5 cm of water per week, ensuring the water is directed at the base of the plant. Avoid wetting the leaves and fruit to prevent fungal infections or rot.
- This equates to roughly 20 liters of water for every 2.5 meters of strawberry bed.
Apply mulch in the fall to protect the roots from frost. Use materials like straw, pine needles, or wood chips around the base of the plants. Remove the mulch in spring and spread it between rows to suppress weed growth.
Remove weeds around the strawberry plants. Weeds can easily overpower strawberries, especially young plants. Check for weeds weekly and pull them out by hand, ensuring the roots are removed. You can also use a hoe to weed between rows.
Remove the first flowers. When the initial strawberry flowers appear, pinch them off to encourage stronger plant growth. You can use your fingers or pruning shears to remove the flowers.
- For June-bearing strawberries, remove all flowers in the first year to ensure a bountiful harvest the following year. Do not remove flowers in subsequent years.
- For day-neutral or everbearing varieties, pinch off flowers until late June, then allow later blooms to develop for a fall harvest.
Protect plants from pests using insecticides. Strawberries attract various insects, including caterpillars, beetles, aphids, and thrips. To prevent infestations, use insecticidal soap or neem oil, ensuring the product is safe for home use.
- Always follow the instructions on the pesticide label.
- Cover plants with netting to protect the fruit from birds.
Use fungicides to prevent fungal diseases. Strawberries are prone to fungal infections like powdery mildew and gray mold. Purchase home-use fungicides labeled as safe for strawberries and follow the application instructions.
- Remove any spotted or discolored leaves to prevent the spread of disease.
Harvest strawberries. When ¾ of the fruit has turned red, it’s ready to pick. Bring a bowl or basket to the garden and gently twist the stem to detach the fruit. Rinse the strawberries with cool water before eating.
- Harvest ripe strawberries immediately; overripe fruit left on the ground will rot.
- Remove any decaying fruit from the plant and discard it to prevent further issues.
"Typically, strawberries are ready to harvest within 4-6 weeks."
Maggie Moran
Gardener
Gardener
Tips
- Typically, strawberry plants stop producing fruit after 4-6 years. The exact timing varies by variety. Remove plants when they no longer yield abundant harvests.
- If growing strawberries in hanging baskets or pots, rotate them regularly to ensure all sides receive adequate sunlight.
What You'll Need
Growing Strawberries in the Garden
- Potted plants or runners
- Gardening shovel
- Soil testing kit
- Watering hose or can
Growing Strawberries in Pots
- Potted strawberry plants or runners
- Planting pots or containers
- Strawberry plants or runners
- Potting soil
- Gardening shovel
- Grow light (optional)
Caring for Strawberry Plants
- Watering hose or can
- Pruning shears
- Hoe
- Mulch materials
- Insecticidal soap or neem oil
- Fungicide
- Netting
