Vegetable · Rosaceae
Strawberry
Fragaria × ananassa
Give it full sun, steady water, and clean straw mulch, and the strawberry will reward you with sweet fruit season after season.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
59–77°F · 15–25°C
90–120 days
Overview
If you are just starting out, the strawberry is a kind plant to begin with. It sits in the rose family and grows as a low, spreading perennial that sends out runners and fills a bed almost on its own. One planting can keep giving you fruit for several years before it asks to be renewed, so you have plenty of room to learn as you go.
There is more than one kind, and the type you choose gently shapes your season. June-bearers ripen one big crop over a couple of weeks in early summer, while day-neutral and everbearing plants keep fruiting from late spring into fall. June-bearers send out lots of runners to spread, and day-neutrals make only a few, which just changes how you tend the bed.
Strawberries ask for little and give back a lot. Offer them sun, even moisture, and a bed of clean straw beneath the fruit, and the berries come in sweet and unmarked. If the bed gets crowded or the fruit rests on wet soil you may see gray mold and soft, spoiled berries, but that is an easy thing to prevent and nothing to be nervous about.
Care
The short version: full sun, evenly moist soil with about an inch to an inch and a half of water a week, rich sandy loam on the acidic side, and clean straw mulch to keep the berries up off bare ground.
Light
Strawberries love full sun, ideally 8 or more hours a day, and that is what ripens the fruit sweet. A little partial sun is fine, but true shade thins the crop and leaves the berries dull and watery, so give them the brightest spot you can.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged, which comes to about 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) of water a week. Pay close attention through flowering and fruiting, and always water at the base so the leaves and berries stay dry.
Soil
Plant into well-drained sandy loam with plenty of organic matter mixed in. A pH of 5.8 to 6.5, a touch on the acidic side, suits them best, and it is that good drainage that quietly keeps root rot away.
Temperature
Strawberries are happiest in the 59°F to 77°F (15°C to 25°C) range. They are hardy enough to overwinter right in the ground, though the flowers and fruit do struggle once summer heat climbs well past that band.
Humidity
Average humidity of 40% to 70% suits them just fine, so there is no number to fret over. Airflow matters far more, since still, damp air around crowded plants is what lets gray mold and leaf fungi take hold.
Feeding
Feed a balanced 10-10-10 in spring at planting, then again after summer renovation. Go easy on spring nitrogen with fruiting June-bearers, or you end up with soft, leafy plants and lose the firm fruit you were hoping for.
Pruning
Pinch the first-year blossoms off June-bearers so they build strong crowns, and thin the runners so the bed does not crowd itself. Renovate June-bearing beds after harvest by mowing the old foliage and thinning the plants, and remove every runner on day-neutral types.
Repotting
Refresh or pot up container plants every 1 to 2 years, and renew in-ground beds every 3 to 4 years. Declining fruit size, quick drying, and roots circling the pot are all gentle signs that it is time.
Size & spacing
Plants stay low, reaching 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall, and spread 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) wide as the runners fill in. Give them that room so air moves freely and the fruit stays clean and sound.
When to plant
Strawberries like to go in early, while the ground is still cool, so there is no rush and no fuss. Set out dormant crowns or transplants in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and then look forward to picking fruit from early summer through fall, depending on the type you grow.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked; set dormant crowns or transplants 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost.
- Harvest: June-bearing: harvested over 2 to 3 weeks in early summer; day-neutral and everbearing: harvested from late spring through fall.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–10
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Most strawberry troubles turn up on the fruit, the leaves, or the roots, and damp conditions are usually the reason. The good news is that once you know the early signs, you can step in gently before anything spreads through the bed. Find the picture that matches yours below, then act while your help still counts.
Small, wilting plants that stall out in dry spells
This is the hard one to hear, since a soilborne rot like red stele or Verticillium wilt works on the roots from below and a plant rarely recovers once it takes hold. Still, you are not helpless: lift a struggling plant and slice a root down its length to check, then pull and destroy any that show the rot so it does not spread. Going forward, plant in well-drained ground, pick resistant cultivars, and keep your strawberries away from spots that lately held tomatoes or potatoes.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected plants
- Improve soil drainage and avoid waterlogging
Soft berries turning brown under a fuzz of gray mold
Do not lose heart if you spot this. It is gray mold from the fungus Botrytis cinerea, and it moves in during wet, muggy spells just as the berries color. You can turn things around by picking ripe fruit often and gently removing any that are already spotted so the spores have nowhere to travel. A bed of clean straw, a little breathing space between plants, and fruit kept up off the soil will settle the problem.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected berries promptly
- Harvest ripe fruit frequently
- Improve air circulation and keep fruit off bare soil
Purple flecks and reddened, scorched leaf edges
This one looks alarming but is kinder than it seems. It is leaf scorch and leaf spot, a pair of fungi that dot the top of the leaf and burn the edges a reddish-brown, and they seldom cost you any fruit. When you renovate, simply clear away the old marked leaves, keep the foliage dry, and only reach for a labeled fungicide in the rare case an outbreak really gets going.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy old infected foliage at renovation
- Apply a labeled fungicide if infection is severe
Toxicity
Here is some reassurance for homes with pets: strawberries are safe from root to runner to fruit. The leaves, stems, and berries carry no toxic compound, so a curious cat, dog, or rabbit that takes a bite is in no danger at all. The fruit makes a wholesome treat for pets and people alike, and is best shared in small amounts.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax around cats and strawberries, because the leaves, runners, and fruit hold nothing that can hurt them. A curious cat that takes a nibble will be perfectly fine.
Dogs None
A dog is welcome near the plant and can even share a ripe berry with you. Just keep the portion small, since a large helping of fruit may leave the stomach a little unsettled.
Horses Safe
Horses are safe to graze near a strawberry patch, since every part of the plant is free of anything toxic.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits come to no harm from the leaves or the fruit, and a small slice of berry now and then is a lovely little treat for them.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse the foliage in comfort, with no toxic risk to worry about.
Birds Safe
Birds happily eat ripe strawberries and take no harm, though be warned that they may clear a bed before you get the chance.
People Safe
Strawberries are a much-loved treat and safe to enjoy fresh or cooked, and the rest of the plant is harmless too.
No toxic principle is present in the plant; the ripe fruit is edible and safe for pets and people.
Varieties
Strawberries come in three broad fruiting types and a long list of named cultivars, and it helps to know a few before you plant. These are the ones worth getting to know.
June-bearing (Junebearer)
You get one generous crop over 2 to 3 weeks in early summer, plus lots of runners that happily fill out the bed for you.
Day-neutral
It keeps handing you fruit all season whatever the day length, and asks little in return by making only a few runners.
Honeoye
A wonderfully cold-hardy June-bearer that crops well and gives you large, firm, bright-red berries.
Albion
A day-neutral favorite loved for its big, conical, sweet berries and its dependable disease resistance.
Seascape
A forgiving, heat-tolerant day-neutral that settles happily into a wide range of climates.
Ozark Beauty
A beloved everbearer that rewards you with two main crops, one in spring and another in fall.
Companions
Strawberries do best beside low crops and pollinator plants that share the bed without crowding them, and worst beside relatives and heavy feeders that pass along wilt or steal nutrients.
Plant near
Bush beans: Legumes fix nitrogen and compete little with shallow strawberry roots.
Spinach: Low-growing leafy crop that uses bed space efficiently without shading strawberries.
Borage: Attracts pollinators that improve strawberry fruit set.
How to propagate
Strawberries are among the easiest plants to multiply, and the loveliest part is that they mostly do the work for you, sending out runners that root themselves into brand-new plants.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Summer to early fall · 4 to 8 weeks
The nicest part is that the plants do most of the multiplying for you. All through summer and into early fall, daughter plants appear along the runners, and all you do is peg one down to root before snipping it free of the parent. It settles in within 4 to 8 weeks, and a single June-bearer can give you roughly 120 runner plants in one season.
DivisionModerate
Early spring or after renovation · 4 to 6 weeks
When a plant has grown several crowns over the years, you can lift it and split it to freshen a tired patch. Do this in early spring or just after renovation, ease the rooted crowns apart with your hands, and replant them. Each piece roots and takes hold in about 4 to 6 weeks.
SeedDemanding
8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost, indoors · 2 to 3 months to transplant size
Growing from seed is really a project for breeders and alpine types, since hybrid garden strawberries will not come true to their parent. If you want to try, sow indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost and give it time, as the seedlings need 2 to 3 months to reach transplant size.
Myths
The strawberry is a true berry.
It is easy to assume so, but botanists call it an accessory fruit instead. That sweet red part you love grows from the receptacle, and the real fruits are the tiny achenes, those little seed-like dots dotted across the surface.
Let June-bearing plants fruit heavily in their first year.
It feels a shame to hold them back, yet a first-year crop wears out a young plant before it has built its base. Pinch off the first-year blossoms on June-bearers and the crowns and runners grow stronger, thanking you with far larger harvests in the years to come.