Growing Strawberry Plants

Fragaria : Rosaceae / the rose family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
        P P            

(Best months for growing Strawberry Plants in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Easy to grow. Plant with crown (of roots) just covered.. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 68°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 12 - 39 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 11 weeks. Strawberries bruise easily when ripe, handle carefully. Pick with a small piece of stem attached..
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Better in a bed on their own to allow good sun and air circulation
  • Avoid growing close to: If you are using rotation beds, avoid putting strawberries where you have grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant
  • Ripening fruit
  • Strawberry plants

Strawberries are low-growing leafy plants which grow 12 - 15 cm (about 6 inches) tall and will spread to about 50 - 100 cm (20 - 40 inches). They have five petalled white or pink flowers. The flowers are followed by the delicious red fruits (which have their seeds on the outside).

Later in the season the plants send out runners like thin stems across the garden which will take root to form new plants. Cut them off and leave the parent growing. You can transplant the runners or let them grow where they rooted to produce new plants.

At the end of fruiting, trim off old yellow leaves and clean up any mouldy fruit still attached.

Strawberries like well drained soil with plenty of humus. To prepare your bed, dig in some compost before planting and possibly use a liquid fertiliser during the growing season. Well fed strawberries taste better.

To protect the fruit from moulds and mildew use some form of mulch around the plants. Straw, pine needles, or black plastic are all suitable. Mulch will also help suppress weeds.

Protect your plants with some sort of netting or bird scarer or you will lose most of your crop!

Strawberry plants often need replacing after a few years as they get affected by viruses and stop producing well.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Strawberry Plants

Pick strawberries and eat them straight from the garden warm from the sunshine - delicious!

Strawberries can be used in any dessert needing soft fruit or berries. Summer pudding (which also has raspberries and blackberries or boysenberries), mousse, trifle, dipped in melted chocolate or just with cream.

Sprinkle a bowl of strawberries with balsamic vinegar and a little sugar to enhance the flavour and colour.

A quick jam of diced strawberries cooked in the microwave with an equal weight of sugar until completely soft won't keep but can be used right away.

Your comments and tips

30 Sep 15, Eleanor Walton (Canada - Zone 2b Sub-Arctic climate)
How do you winter strawberries?
18 Sep 16, Sharron Berry (USA - Zone 5b climate)
How do I winter Strawberries in ZONE 5b we have a very short growing season and are at 9000 feet. We tend to get a perma frost
18 Sep 16, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Sharron, you can lift your plants and save the runners with roots started. If no runners then just use the plants. Wrap them in sacking and keep dry and out of the frost until you are ready to plant them. Then water well and plant as usual. They will take a little while to get started, starting them inside in pots might help.
26 Aug 17, Raut (USA - Zone 11b climate)
Pls suggest me appropriate varieties of strawberry and sowing time. Thks
20 Mar 18, Elizabeth (USA - Zone 10b climate)
Wish Farms in Plant City Florida are the BEST, contact them and they will help you.
17 Nov 18, Ahmed Baba (USA - Zone 11b climate)
Hello sir, I live in Bahrain- middle east and my hardiness zone is 11B on AHZ scaling. Is it possible for me to grow strawberry from seeds now that the temp is dropped to 25-30 ْ C. Reminder our summer peak is from june until november and the heat is unbearing and since we are an island sorrounded by sea our weather becomes too humid during summers. What do you recommend since i really am very excited to grow strawberry. I have already planted my seeds.
07 May 19, Janet (USA - Zone 10a climate)
I would like to grow organic strawberries in containers. Any variety suggestions? Thanks for any input!
02 Nov 20, Benita (USA - Zone 10a climate)
What type of Strawberries can I plant in Zone 10A. so when I transplant, the crowns are already in proper placement depth in soil. Planted seascape everbearing bareroots but they all died.. pls advise. Thank you.
03 Nov 20, Anonymous (USA - Zone 6a climate)
If you want a good crop buy new runner plants from a plant producer. Also read up about how to plant and grow them.
03 Nov 20, Anonymous (USA - Zone 10a climate)
Don't cover with soil the growing tip part of the crown, you will kill the plant. Plant them and try and cover them with some shade for a week or so to help them to establish.
Showing 1 - 10 of 67 comments

Watched a video today and it said strawberries can take up to 2 yrs to produce fruit from planting seeds. She recommended buying fresh root stock. Make sure there is some green growth on them.

- Mike

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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