There’s nothing quite like the taste of a sun-warmed, juicy strawberry picked straight from your own garden. It’s a flavor that supermarket berries simply can’t match.
If you’ve ever dreamt of harvesting your own sweet, delicious fruit, you’re in the right place.
This guide will show you exactly how to plant strawberries for a truly sweet success story. It’s easier than you think, and the rewards are absolutely delicious.
This perfect guide will walk you through everything, from choosing the best strawberry varieties for your space to caring for your plants and harvesting that first perfect berry. Get ready to turn a small patch of your garden into a berry-producing powerhouse.
Understanding Strawberry Plant Types
Before you learn how to plant strawberries, it’s essential to know the different types available. The right choice depends on when you want to harvest your fruit and how you plan to use it.
All strawberries come as bare-root plants, which look like a bundle of roots with a small crown on top. Don’t be fooled by their dormant appearance; they are ready to grow!
There are three main categories of strawberries:
- June-Bearing: These are the most popular type. They produce one massive crop of large, delicious berries over a period of two to three weeks, typically in June (hence the name). They are perfect if you want a large harvest all at once for making jams, jellies, or for freezing. They send out lots of runners, which helps them spread and create a lush berry patch.
- Everbearing: This name is a bit misleading. Everbearing strawberries don’t produce fruit all season long. Instead, they typically yield two to three harvests per year: one in late spring/early summer and another in late summer/early fall. The berries are generally a bit smaller than June-bearers but are still incredibly sweet. They are ideal for gardeners who want a steady supply of fresh berries rather than one huge crop.
- Day-Neutral: These are similar to everbearing types but are even more productive. Day-neutral varieties produce fruit consistently throughout the growing season, from late spring until the first frost, as long as temperatures stay between 35°F and 85°F. They produce smaller berries but make up for it with their continuous harvest. They are excellent for containers and small spaces.
Here’s a quick comparison to help you choose:
| Strawberry Type | Harvest Season | Berry Size | Best For | Popular Varieties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June-Bearing | One large crop in early summer | Large | Jams, preserving, freezing | ‘Allstar’, ‘Honeoye’, ‘Earliglow’ |
| Everbearing | 2-3 harvests (spring & fall) | Medium | Fresh eating, desserts | ‘Quinault’, ‘Ozark Beauty’ |
| Day-Neutral | Consistent, smaller harvests | Small to Medium | Containers, season-long fresh eating | ‘Seascape’, ‘Tristar’, ‘Albion’ |
For a great start, consider a reliable option like the Allstar’ June-Bearing Strawberry Plants (Bare Root for a big, traditional harvest.
When and Where to Plant Strawberries
Timing and location are everything when it comes to growing a successful strawberry patch.
The Best Time to Plant
The ideal time for how to plant strawberries is in the early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked and is no longer frozen or soggy. For most regions, this means planting between March and May. Planting in the spring gives the plants a full season to establish a strong root system before winter.
In warmer climates (USDA zones 7 and up), you can also plant strawberries in the fall or even winter. This allows them to get established during the cooler, wetter months and produce a robust crop the following spring.
Choosing the Perfect Location
Strawberries need two things above all else: sun and good soil.
- Full Sun: Your strawberry patch needs a minimum of 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. The sun is what fuels the plant and produces those wonderfully sweet berries. More sun equals more, and sweeter, fruit.
- Well-Drained, Rich Soil: Strawberries hate “wet feet” and are prone to root rot if left in waterlogged ground. The soil should be sandy or loamy with excellent drainage. It’s also crucial that the soil is rich in organic matter. Before planting, amend your soil by working in 2-3 inches of Organic Compost or Aged Manure. This improves drainage, fertility, and soil structure.
A raised garden bed is an excellent choice for strawberries, as it provides superior drainage and allows you to control the soil quality completely. You can fill a Cedar Raised Garden Bed Kit with the perfect soil mix for your plants.
How to Plant Strawberries: A Step-by-Step Guide
Whether you’re planting in a traditional matted row, a raised bed, or a container, the fundamental steps are the same.
- Prepare the Bare-Root Plants: Your bare-root strawberries will arrive dormant. About an hour before you plan to plant, soak the roots in a bucket of water. This rehydrates them and helps them wake up from dormancy. Just before planting, you can trim the roots slightly to about 4-5 inches long to encourage new growth.
- Dig the Planting Hole: Dig a hole that is wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots without bending them. A key technique is to create a small mound of soil in the center of the hole.
- Set the Crown at the Right Depth: This is the most critical step in planting strawberries. The “crown” is the part of the plant where the roots meet the leaves. It must be set at the correct height.
- Drape the roots over the mound of soil in your hole.
- Backfill with soil until it is right at the level of the crown.
- If you plant too deep, the crown will be buried, and the plant will rot.
- If you plant too shallow, the crown and roots will be exposed and dry out.
- The soil level should be exactly at the midpoint of the crown.
- Space Your Plants: Proper spacing is important for air circulation, which helps prevent disease.
- Space plants 12-18 inches apart.
- Arrange rows 3-4 feet apart to give you room to walk and to allow runners to fill in the space.
- Water Thoroughly: After planting, water your new strawberry plants well to settle the soil around the roots and eliminate any air pockets.
Caring for Your Strawberry Plants for Sweet Success
Your work isn’t over after planting. Consistent care throughout the season will lead to a bountiful and healthy harvest.
First-Year Care: Patience Pays Off
For June-bearing varieties planted in the spring, it is highly recommended that you pinch off all the flowers that appear in the first year. This may feel painful, but it prevents the plant from fruiting and instead directs all its energy into developing a robust root system and healthy leaves.
This sacrifice will reward you with a much larger, healthier crop in the second year and for years to come. For everbearing and day-neutral types, you can pinch off the first flush of flowers and allow them to fruit later in the season.
Mulching
Mulching is a strawberry plant’s best friend.
- Why Mulch? It suppresses weeds, conserves soil moisture, keeps the soil cool, and, most importantly, keeps the developing berries clean and off the soil, which prevents rot.
- How to Mulch: After planting, apply a 1-2 inch layer of clean straw, shredded leaves, or pine needles around the plants. The word “strawberry” itself is thought to have come from the practice of mulching the “strewn” berries with straw.
Watering and Fertilizing
- Watering: Strawberries have shallow roots and require consistent moisture. They need about 1-2 inches of water per week during the growing season. A Soaker Hose is a fantastic tool for delivering water directly to the soil without wetting the foliage, which helps prevent fungal diseases.
- Fertilizing: Feed your strawberries with a balanced liquid fertilizer, such as a Liquid Seaweed and Kelp Fertilizer, right after planting and again after their renovation (see below). Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, which will produce lots of beautiful leaves but very little fruit.
Managing Runners
June-bearing strawberries will send out long stems called “runners,” which will root and create new daughter plants. Allowing them to root freely will create a thick “matted row.”
To maintain plant vigor, you can thin these runners, allowing only a few to root per mother plant or clipping them off entirely to focus energy on the main plant.
Renovating the Patch (June-Bearers Only)
After your June-bearing strawberries have finished fruiting for the season, it’s time to “renovate” the patch to prepare it for next year.
- Mow or trim the old leaves off the plants, setting your mower blade high enough to not damage the crowns.
- Thin out the plants, leaving the most vigorous ones spaced about 6-10 inches apart.
- Fertilize the patch and apply fresh mulch.
Harvesting Your Homegrown Strawberries
This is the moment you’ve been waiting for!
- When to Harvest: Harvest berries when they are fully and uniformly red. A strawberry will not continue to ripen after it has been picked, so be patient and wait for that deep, glossy red color. Check your patch every day or two, as they ripen quickly.
- How to Harvest: It’s best to harvest in the cool of the morning. Grasp the stem just above the berry and pinch it off, or use a pair of small scissors. Avoid pulling on the berry itself.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: How long will my strawberry patch produce fruit?
A well-maintained strawberry patch will be productive for about three to five years. After that, production will decline, and it’s a good idea to start a new patch with fresh, disease-free plants.
Q2: Can I grow strawberries in containers?
Absolutely! Strawberries are perfect for containers, hanging baskets, and strawberry pots. Day-neutral and everbearing varieties are the best choice for containers. Just be sure to use a quality potting mix and water frequently, as containers dry out quickly.
Q3: Why are my strawberries small and misshapen?
Small or deformed berries are often the result of poor pollination. Encourage pollinators like bees to visit your garden by planting other flowers nearby. It can also be caused by extreme heat or a lack of water during fruit development.
Q4: What pests should I watch out for?
Slugs and birds are the biggest fans of ripe strawberries. Use straw mulch to deter slugs and cover your patch with Garden Bird Netting as the berries begin to ripen to protect your precious crop from birds.
