How Do Strawberries Grow?

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USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 10. 

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Strawberries like full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.They are sweet, juicy berries best eaten right off the plant. Strawberries are low-growing perennials that grow best in cool subtropical areas. They are bisexual plants that mostly self pollinate.

Strawberries ripen 4 to 5 weeks after first flowers open.

Plants produce fruit for five years before dying with optimal fruiting in the 3rd year.

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Seasonal Growth

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Winter:In mild winters, some planting is done in late winter. Older plants remain dormant in winter.

Spring:Most planting of new plants begins in early spring. For older plants in the U.S, the months of April, May, and June are when most strawberries are ready to picked.

Summer:Flowering and ripening continue throughout the summer.

Fall:Fruit continues to grow until first frost when plant goes dormant until next season.

Health Benefits

 

History

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Strawberries are derived mainly from two species, F. virginiana and F. chiloensis. that were originally cultivated in Europe in the 18th century. The popularity of the fruit spread quickly with many countries developing their own varieties suitable to their climates and conditions during the 19th century.

 

Propagation

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-Strawberries are propagated by planting seeds or by using the runners produced by the mother plant.

-Strawberries are one of the only fruits that carries its seeds on the outside of its surface. Each strawberry carries an astonishing 200 seeds. The disadvantage of using seed is the uncertainty of the cultivar. Using a runner will produce an exact replica of the parent plant and the plant will take less time to fruit.

- The runners are called stolons - they are horizontal stems that are set out from the base of a mature strawberry plant. New plants will form from these runners with proper soil nutrition and create a clone of the mother plant. When the runner has grown its own roots, it is snipped and transplanted to to a desired area

-To maximize production, research which strawberry variety is suited for the climate and conditions of your garden.

 

Harvesting

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-The fruit is ready to harvest 4 to 6 weeks after the flowers bloom.

-Fruit is picked when it is completely bright red, plump, and firm. Strawberries stop ripening the moment they are picked.

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Storage

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Strawberries need to be eaten within two days of picking. Once transported, they become tart with a grainy texture because the natural sugar in the berries begins converting to starch as soon as they are picked, but they do freeze well for future use.

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Fun Facts

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Strawberries are grown throughout most of the U.S, Canada, Turkey, Spain, France, Italy, the U.K, Bulgaria, Poland, Japan, southern and eastern Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.

The U.S is the largest producer of strawberries world wide. California accounts for 80% of total U.S production, followed by Florida.

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The geographical region determines the type of strawberry grown.

There are 3 common types of strawberry plants:

Junebearer:These are sensitive to the length of days. They sprout in the fall, blossom, fruit in the spring and send out runners during the summer.

Everbearer: This variety sprouts during the summer and produces small amounts of fruit consistently from early summer to autumn.