5 REASONS TO GROW YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES
There’s nothing quite like the taste of homegrown strawberries—sweet, juicy, and picked at peak ripeness. If you’ve ever thought about growing your own, here’s why you should start this season:
- You get to choose the perfect variety for your needs. Want strawberries that are extra sweet for fresh eating? A firm variety for baking? A variety option for jam? You’re in control! Unlike store-bought berries, which are often varieties chosen for shelf life and shipping, homegrown strawberries let other qualities shine. Plus, you can extend strawberry season by planting early, mid, and late-season varieties.
- Unbeatable flavor—every time. Store-bought strawberries are often picked before they’re ripe, leading to bland or tart fruit. When you grow your own, you can harvest at peak ripeness for the best possible taste.
- More berries, less money. The average retail price for strawberries ranges from $1.99 to $3.46 per pound.* A single strawberry plant can produce around 1.5 pounds of fruit, meaning 25 plants can yield roughly 37.5 pounds of berries—worth up to $129.75 at the store. Compare that to the cost of just $24–$35 for 25 high-quality plants from Nourse Farms, and you’ll see the savings add up fast! (This, of course, depends on many factors including weather and water, so this is a rough estimate that is not guaranteed!)
- No big garden? No problem! Whether you have a backyard, raised beds, or just a few containers, you can successfully grow strawberries almost anywhere.
- Easy to grow—even for beginners. Strawberries are low maintenance once established. Give them full sun, water weekly, and watch them thrive. With a little care, you’ll enjoy a bountiful harvest year after year!
Ready to start growing? Let’s dig in!
Pictured here is Sparkle.
TERMS TO KNOW
June-Bearing
June-bearing strawberry plants develop their flower buds in the late summer and fall after planting. The following spring, the buds flower and fruit ripen, typically in June. This means they bear fruit one year after you plant them.
Day-Neutral/Everbearing
Day-neutral and everbearing strawberry plants flower and produce fruit throughout the summer. They typically begin fruiting about 12–14 weeks after planting, depending on conditions.
Parts of the Plant
Trifoliate Leaf
Strawberry leaves have three “blades” per leaf, which is why they’re called “tri” (three) “foliate” (leaves). Leaves go dormant in the late fall and stay that way until the spring.
Crown
A strawberry plant crown is where the plant grows from. The strawberry plant is planted so that the middle of the crown is level with the top of the soil. Be careful not to cover the crown completely. NOTE: Strawberry plants will grow "branch crowns" that help make more flowers and fruit, but once they grow too many branch crowns, they will start making fewer, smaller berries. That's why we recommend replanting every few years!
Roots
Strawberry plant roots are generally shallow, usually growing six to twelve inches depending on the soil type. When you plant your strawberry plants, you’ll want to dig holes deep enough that you’re able to lower the roots into the ground without bending them.
Stolon (Runner)
A stolon, also known as a runner, is a stem that a strawberry plant grows and then produces daughter plants on. This is a strawberry plant’s reproductive process. While having runners and daughters is a good thing to fill your plant beds, you’ll need to manage them so that your plants receive proper light. Managing them will also help with weed control and picking the fruit.
Daughter
A strawberry plant daughter is a new strawberry plant. When a daughter takes root, it will grow to produce fruit, just like the plant you initially planted.
Soil pH
Soil pH is how we measure how acidic or alkaline your soil is. The scale is 0 to 14, with seven being neutral. Soil pH impacts the availability of nutrients in the soil. Depending on the plants’ needs, if the soil pH is too high or too low, the plant may fail to produce fruit or to grow at all.
PREPARE FOR PLANTING
When selecting a place to plant your strawberry plants, avoid a site where previous plants have included strawberries, brambles (raspberries and blackberries), potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, or peppers. These crops may harbor soil pathogens, negatively impacting your plants’ health and performance.
You’ll also want the location you pick to plant your strawberry plants to be sunny and weed-free. Strawberry plants like eight or more hours of direct sunlight daily.
When deciding how much room you’ll need for your plants, give them about 12–18 inches of space between each other. This will allow plenty of room for growth with optimal light exposure and airflow.
You’ll want to check your soil pH and can do so using a tool called a digital soil pH meter. You’ll want the soil pH to land in the range of 6.5–6.8. If your pH is higher than 6.8, you can add elemental sulfur to lower the pH level. If your pH is lower than 6.0, you can add ground limestone.
GROWING GUIDANCE
When you receive your strawberry plants from Nourse Farms, you’ll want to get them into the ground right away. (Remember, when you place your order, you get to select your shipping week. Make sure to pick a time when the soil will have warmed to 50ºF. If you’re not sure when that might be, check out our Recommended Planting Season chart on our website.)
Planting at the correct depth is important. Plant with the middle of the crown level with the top of the soil, and make sure the roots are positioned straight down, as illustrated below.
Strawberry plants do best when they get one to two inches of rainfall or equivalent irrigation each week, depending on your soil type. Strawberries do not do well in drought conditions, so make sure to plant them in a location where consistent watering is easily accessible if rainfall is insufficient. Ensuring proper moisture levels will support healthy growth and maximize yields.
If you’re planting in containers such as pots or hanging baskets, you should use well-draining media and make sure you have a spot that allows the growing plants to receive lots of sunlight. As a rule of thumb, you can fit three plants in a 10” pot and four plants in a 12” pot.
Helpful tip: If you are growing a June-bearing strawberry variety in containers, they will need extra winter protection to get them through winter before fruiting since the roots are above ground.
For more helpful information about how to grow your strawberry plants, including how to prepare the plants for the winter, see our Strawberry Growing Guide.
POTENTIAL CHALLENGES
Wildlife
The only ones who are more excited about you growing your own strawberries are your friendly neighborhood critters, including birds, deer, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and more. There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you can pick ripe berries tomorrow, only to find out that the animals got to them before you did. Nourse Farms has had our fair share of unwelcome guests feasting on the fruits of our labor. Our team has become quite skilled at keeping pests away.
We recommend keeping netting over the plants when they’re fruiting to keep birds and other larger animals out of the berries without harming them.
We also recommend adding plants to your garden that naturally deter pests. Strongly scented varieties like marigolds, catmint, garlic, sage, and mint can help keep rodents at bay. Daffodils are a great choice, as deer and squirrels tend to avoid them. Allium not only repels rabbits and deer but also attracts beneficial pollinators, making it a valuable addition to any garden.
CHOOSING THE VARIETY THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
If you’re looking to win a blue ribbon for your strawberry pie, we recommend growing Earliglow, Honeoye, Cavendish, Jewel, and Sparkle.
If you want a lot of berries, we recommend AC Wendy, Yambu, Honeoye, Darselect, Evie-2, Albion, and San Andreas.
If you have limited space and want to grow in hanging baskets, day-neutrals are your best bet. We recommend Seascape, Evie-2, and Mara des Bois.
If you’ll be growing in containers and pots, some popular, easy-to-grow varieties are Earliglow, Sparkle, Jewel, Honeoye, and Allstar.
If you live somewhere that has pretty harsh winters, you’ll want to plant AC Wendy, Annapolis, Honeoye, Cavendish, or Sparkle.
If you’re a true beginner, you’ll want to plant Allstar or Sparkle. If you’re ready to level up your strawberry growing game, go for Annapolis or Cabot.
If you’re not sure what you want, give us a call at 1-877-NFBERRY (632-3779) or email us at info@noursefarms.com! Our team is here to help you find the right berries for your garden.
Pictured here is a happy customer showing off their Albion berries.
*Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations from 2022 Circana (formerly Information Resources, Inc. (IRI)) OmniMarket Core Outlets (formerly InfoScan) data; and USDA, ARS, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR), Legacy Release, Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED) 2017–18, and the FPED's accompanying Methodology and User Guide.
Top and Thumbnail photo: Yambu strawberries.
