How to Grow Strawberries

Fragaria x ananassa

A low perennial that fruits for years once established. The first summer is about getting the plants settled; the real crop comes after that.

At a glance

Difficulty
Takes some care
Sunlight
Full sun
6 to 10 hours of sun a day
Water
Average thirst
First harvest
300 to 400 days
from planting out
Growing in a pot
2 gal or bigger
Plant spacing
12 to 18 in apart

More about this plant

Strawberries are easy to keep alive and easy to kill on planting day: the crown must sit exactly at soil level. Plant in spring, pinch off the first flowers, mulch with straw, and expect the proper crop in year two.

Comes back each year.
Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
A good one to grow together with children.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

Save a city or a U.S. ZIP so we can turn local frost records into useful dates. Every crop guide still works without this.

A U.S. ZIP uses official NOAA frost records. Other countries use weather-station records, or a climate reconstruction where stations are missing. Coordinates are used once and not stored. We save only a place label and climate summary in a private browser cookie. You can clear it anytime.

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

Plant out from 4 weeks before your last spring frost to 4 weeks afterDormant bare root plants go in earliest; potted plants a few weeks later.

When you can start picking

8 to 13 weeks after your last spring frostJune bearing types give one concentrated crop. Expect little or nothing in the first year.

Ready to pick about 300 to 400 days from planting out.
Picking lasts about 3 weeks.

What you need

How to start itFrom a young plant
How deep to plant0 in
Plant at soil level. Drawing is not to scale.
How far apart12 to 18 inLeave 36 to 48 in between rows.
Leave 12 to 18 in between plants and 36 to 48 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale.
How deep the roots go6 to 12 inUseful when picking a pot or planning a raised bed.
Roots reach 6 to 12 in below the soil surface. Scale in inches; root shape is a guide. The dotted line marks the shallow end of the range.
Pot size2 gal or bigger
Choose a pot that holds 2 gal or more. Shape and plant size are a guide.

Step by step

Prepare the bed properlyThey stay in place for years. Work in well rotted compost and clear perennial weeds before you plant anything.
Plant while the ground is coolDormant bare root plants go in around your last frost; potted plants a few weeks later.
Get the depth exactly rightThe crown, where the leaves meet the roots, sits level with the soil surface and the roots are fully buried. Too deep rots, too shallow dries out.
Pinch off the first flowersFor the first few weeks after planting. It feels wrong, and it is what gives you a real crop later.
Mulch with strawHalf an inch to an inch between the rows keeps the fruit off the soil and away from slugs.
Manage the runnersCut them off, or place them where you want new plants. Left alone they crowd the bed and cost you fruit.
Water steadily while fruit swellsAbout an inch a week, at the soil rather than over the fruit.
Mulch again for winterIn cold areas, four to six inches of straw over the plants once temperatures stay below 40F, after two or three frosts.

Common mistakes

Burying the crownThe commonest way a new strawberry plant dies. The crown sits at soil level, not under it.
Expecting a crop in year oneMost plants give little the first summer. Pinching the first flowers off is what buys the second year's crop.
Letting runners runA bed that fills with daughter plants produces small fruit and lots of leaves.
Watering over the topWet fruit and wet leaves are how grey mould gets started.

Water

Average thirst

About an inch of water a week, ideally from a soaker hose or drip line so the fruit and leaves stay dry.

Too dry
About right
Too wet

If it goes dryCopes with a short dry spellSmall, hard berries and browning leaf edges.
If it stays wetRots quickly in wet groundGrey fuzz on the fruit and crowns that rot away.

Looking after it

FeedingAn occasional feed helpsFeed after the harvest rather than before it, or if runners are sparse. Compost or an organic nitrogen source such as blood meal.
NitrogenToo much nitrogen gives leaves instead of food
PruningNeeds pruningRemove runners through the season unless you want them to fill a bed. Every runner is fruit you did not get.
MulchHalf an inch to an inch of straw between rows in summer keeps fruit off the soil. In cold areas, four to six inches of straw over the plants for winter, once temperatures stay below 40F after two or three frosts.
PollinationBees do the work. Misshapen berries usually mean poor pollination rather than a problem with the plant.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Red all over, including the shoulders around the stem. A white shoulder means another day.

Pick when the fruit is dry, pinching the stem just above the berry rather than pulling the fruit itself. Refrigerate straight away.

What to expect1 to 2 quarts per plantA rough guide. A good year and a bad year can differ by half.
Keeping itKeeps 2 to 5 daysDo not wash until you are about to eat them. Keep in a single layer in the fridge.

Common problems

Slugs and snails
Can ruin the crop
They go for ripe fruit resting on the soil.
What to look for: Ragged holes in leaves and silvery trails in the morning.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Water in the morning so the ground is drier at night. Clear hiding places near the bed.
What to do: Go out after dark with a torch and collect them. Beer traps work in a small bed.
Aphids
A nuisance
What to look for: Clusters on the tips and under leaves, sticky leaves, and ants running up the stems.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Do not overfeed with nitrogen, which makes the soft growth they love. Leave a few flowers nearby for ladybirds.
What to do: Knock them off with a jet of water, or rub them off by hand. Insecticidal soap for a heavy attack.
Grey mould
Can ruin the crop
The most common disease of strawberries, and the usual reason a picking is lost.
What to look for: Grey fuzz on ripening fruit, often starting where two berries touch.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Pick ripe fruit promptly, keep fruit off the soil, and give plants room.
What to do: Remove affected fruit and leaves and put them in the bin, not the compost heap.
Powdery mildew
Common, worth watching for
What to look for: Pale, powdery patches on the upper side of leaves, spreading until the leaf yellows.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Leave room between plants for air to move. Water the soil, not the leaves.
What to do: Remove the worst leaves. In a bad year, a milk or potassium bicarbonate spray slows it down.

Is this right for you?

Temperate, with a real winter. They need at least six hours of sun a day and do best with ten or more.

LightFull sunAbout 6 to 10 hours of direct sun a day.
ShadeCopes with a little shade
SeasonA cool season cropUsually grown in spring or summer.
TemperatureHappiest at 60 to 80 °FIt can survive -20 to 90 °F.
FrostSurvives a hard freeze
HeatCopes with heat
AirNo strong preference
Hardiness zonesZones 3a to 10bZones describe winter cold only. They do not say when to plant.

Soil

Soil pH5.5 to 6.5A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
Soil it likesLoam, Sandy
DrainageWants well drained ground
RichnessAverage ground is fine

Work well rotted compost through the bed before planting. The plants stay put for years, so this is the one chance to do it.

A soil test before planting is worth it. Avoid ground that recently grew tomatoes, potatoes or peppers.

The year at a glance

Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

Plant out
from 4 weeks before your last spring frost to 4 weeks after
Growing
about 4 weeks of growing
Picking
8 to 13 weeks after your last spring frost

Companion plants

Some of this is measured in trials and some is long-standing garden practice. Each note below says which it is.

Keep apart

Extension programs advise keeping these apart:

MintMint spreads quickly. Keep it in a pot or separate bed so it does not crowd the strawberries.Recommended by extension programs

Questions people ask

Why did my new strawberry plants die?

Usually the crown was buried. The point where the leaves meet the roots must sit level with the soil surface: below it the crown rots, above it the roots dry out.

Should I cut off the runners?

Yes, unless you want more plants. Every runner is energy the plant did not put into fruit. If you do want them, place them where you want new plants to root.

Why is my fruit misshapen?

Usually poor pollination. Bees do the work, so a cold spell or anything that keeps them away shows up as lumpy berries.

What is the grey fuzz on my strawberries?

Grey mould, the most common strawberry disease. Keep the fruit off the soil with straw, pick ripe berries promptly, water the ground rather than the plants, and bin affected fruit rather than composting it.

Common varieties

June bearing Despite the name, one large concentrated crop over about three weeks in early summer, whenever that falls where you live. It also throws the most runners.
Everbearing Two smaller crops, in early summer and early autumn.
Day neutral Fruits in smaller amounts across the whole growing season.

Also filed under: Fruits

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates

Light and weather: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Sun hours
Planting: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Crown depth, spacing and row spacing
Timing: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Planting window and first-year flower removal
Soil: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Soil preparation
Water: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · One inch a week, by drip or soaker hose
Looking after it: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Mulch depths, runner management and feeding
Harvest: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Ripeness and handling
Common problems: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11 · Pest and disease lists
Step by step: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11
Questions people ask: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden · checked 2026-09-11
Companion plants: University of Maryland Extension, Growing Mint in a Home Garden · checked 2026-09-15 · Mint spreading and containment guidance; this is a space warning, not a claim that mint harms strawberry plants.

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