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The Many Faces of Strawberries
Q. I want to grow strawberries. Which variety produces the earliest? I had strawberries at the last place we lived and it took two years before the plants produced. Is this how long it always takes? And which kinds bear the most fruit?
But we wrote about them quite a bit back when I was the Editor of ORGANIC GARDENING magazine, so here’s what I came up with going back over those old stories and reading some good State Extension Bulletins on strawberry growing.
First, there is no single {quote} “strawberry”, as home gardeners can produce these tasty fruits on three very different kinds of plants. (Now I remember why I’ve been ducking this question for so long. Hey; I got a great idea! Whataya say we talk about eggplants? They’re fun to grow, right?)
OK, OK: The three kinds are June-bearing, ever-bearing and day-neutral.
June bearers are the big suckers you see in the supermarket most of the time; the berries are huge and the plants spread wildly by ‘runners’ on the surface of the soil. These big tasty berries were bred for commercial use, and so produce a big flush all at once, generally within a two to three week harvest window. BUT there are early, mid, and late season varieties, so you can stretch the harvest quite a bit by planting some of each type. These are the patches that can last for decades if you’re lucky.
Ever-bearing berries are, like most terms in horticulture, an outright lie. They’re genetically primed to produce the most fruits with twelve hours of daylight, so you get some pretty big runs in late Spring and early Fall (much like with raspberries), and a smattering over the summer. They don’t send out many runners, the patches don’t last very long and the berries are smaller than those big June guys.
Day-neutral strawberries are actually more ever-bearing than ever-bearers, producing small numbers of berries all season long. They don’t like hot weather, and so do much better in the North than the South. As with ever-bearers, the berries are smaller, the plants don’t spread as wildly and the patches are more ephemeral than those of the June bearing varieties.
You can harvest ever-bearing and day-neutral types at the end of their first season (after removing any flowers that form for the first month or two after planting). You’re not supposed to harvest any June bearers their first year, pulling off any flowers that do appear to insure big strong plants for the future, a common tactic for long-lived fruits. Stick with the plan and your June bearing patch can last a long time.
Which type produces the most berries? Even though they have a shorter season, most experts feel you’ll get more poundage per season from June bearing types. Plant an early, mid and late season variety, and you’ll get a pretty long harvest as well.
Those “ugly” second year ever-bearers could have been under-pollinated; the more bees around, the better shaped the fruits will be. A hot summer would also stress the fruits. So try and attract more pollinators and have a heavy hand with the water if a heat wave hits.
Lack of sweetness could be poor variety choice or picking too early; some varieties color up nice and red before their sugars catch up, so be patient. Chemical fertilizers also dilute flavor, so feed only with compost or a gentle organic fertilizer.
Maintenance: Beginning in year three, you should run a lawn mower over June bearing patches after they’re done producing for the summer. When day neutrals and ever bearing types become less productive after a few years, replace the plants.
Helpful Products from Gardens Alive!
Compost Digester - Create your own rich, organic compost with this sturdy, attractive bin which is designed to speed up the composting process. Just toss in your yard, kitchen and garden waste. Open the sliding door at the bottom to remove a steady supply of finished compost.
Weed Barrier Mat – Cut down your weeding time, while retaining soil moisture.
Perfect GardenTM Spray Kit for Strawberries - This convenient kit supplies all of the fertilizer and sprays that you’ll need to grow lots of sweet, healthy strawberries!
Q. I want to grow strawberries. Which variety produces the earliest? I had strawberries at the last place we lived and it took two years before the plants produced. Is this how long it always takes? And which kinds bear the most fruit?
- ---Alex in Port Royal (Central) PA
- ---Judy in Port Angeles, Washington
- ----Sue in SW VA (about 55 miles from Roanoke, 7 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway in a lovely little holler)
- ---Ronald in Malta (Europe)
But we wrote about them quite a bit back when I was the Editor of ORGANIC GARDENING magazine, so here’s what I came up with going back over those old stories and reading some good State Extension Bulletins on strawberry growing.
First, there is no single {quote} “strawberry”, as home gardeners can produce these tasty fruits on three very different kinds of plants. (Now I remember why I’ve been ducking this question for so long. Hey; I got a great idea! Whataya say we talk about eggplants? They’re fun to grow, right?)
OK, OK: The three kinds are June-bearing, ever-bearing and day-neutral.
June bearers are the big suckers you see in the supermarket most of the time; the berries are huge and the plants spread wildly by ‘runners’ on the surface of the soil. These big tasty berries were bred for commercial use, and so produce a big flush all at once, generally within a two to three week harvest window. BUT there are early, mid, and late season varieties, so you can stretch the harvest quite a bit by planting some of each type. These are the patches that can last for decades if you’re lucky.
Ever-bearing berries are, like most terms in horticulture, an outright lie. They’re genetically primed to produce the most fruits with twelve hours of daylight, so you get some pretty big runs in late Spring and early Fall (much like with raspberries), and a smattering over the summer. They don’t send out many runners, the patches don’t last very long and the berries are smaller than those big June guys.
Day-neutral strawberries are actually more ever-bearing than ever-bearers, producing small numbers of berries all season long. They don’t like hot weather, and so do much better in the North than the South. As with ever-bearers, the berries are smaller, the plants don’t spread as wildly and the patches are more ephemeral than those of the June bearing varieties.
You can harvest ever-bearing and day-neutral types at the end of their first season (after removing any flowers that form for the first month or two after planting). You’re not supposed to harvest any June bearers their first year, pulling off any flowers that do appear to insure big strong plants for the future, a common tactic for long-lived fruits. Stick with the plan and your June bearing patch can last a long time.
Which type produces the most berries? Even though they have a shorter season, most experts feel you’ll get more poundage per season from June bearing types. Plant an early, mid and late season variety, and you’ll get a pretty long harvest as well.
Those “ugly” second year ever-bearers could have been under-pollinated; the more bees around, the better shaped the fruits will be. A hot summer would also stress the fruits. So try and attract more pollinators and have a heavy hand with the water if a heat wave hits.
Lack of sweetness could be poor variety choice or picking too early; some varieties color up nice and red before their sugars catch up, so be patient. Chemical fertilizers also dilute flavor, so feed only with compost or a gentle organic fertilizer.
Maintenance: Beginning in year three, you should run a lawn mower over June bearing patches after they’re done producing for the summer. When day neutrals and ever bearing types become less productive after a few years, replace the plants.
Helpful Products from Gardens Alive!
Compost Digester - Create your own rich, organic compost with this sturdy, attractive bin which is designed to speed up the composting process. Just toss in your yard, kitchen and garden waste. Open the sliding door at the bottom to remove a steady supply of finished compost.
Weed Barrier Mat – Cut down your weeding time, while retaining soil moisture.
Perfect GardenTM Spray Kit for Strawberries - This convenient kit supplies all of the fertilizer and sprays that you’ll need to grow lots of sweet, healthy strawberries!
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