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.
By David Choi · Updated · How we source and review advice
Already growing? Get care helpAt a glance
Difficulty
Takes some care
3 of 5 · More shovels, more care
Sunlight
Full sun
6 to 10 hours 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.
Which kind of strawberry should I grow?
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.
Make it your plan
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Your plan, starting Nov 10, 2026
Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.
Estimated first harvest
Sep 6, 2027 – Dec 15, 2027
Counted from planting out. Variety, plant age, weather, and care can change this estimate.
Red all over, including the shoulders around the stem. A white shoulder means another day.
Temperate, with a real winter. They need at least six hours of sun a day and do best with ten or more.
First, gather a few things
- A young strawberry plant
- A pot of at least 2 gallons, with drainage holes
- Potting mix that drains well
- A watering can or hose
Get ready
Do these before you put the plant or seeds in place.
Start here
1. Prepare the bed properly
They stay in place for years. Work in well rotted compost and clear perennial weeds before you plant anything.
Start or plant it
Follow the steps for the way you chose to start.
1. Plant while the ground is cool
Dormant bare root plants go in around your last frost; potted plants a few weeks later.
2. Get the depth exactly right
The 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.
Water
Check the soil first. Heat, rain, and pots can change how often this plant needs water.
1. Check before you water
Push a finger about 1 inch into the soil. Water when it feels dry there.
2. Water the roots
Water slowly at the base until the soil feels moist a few inches down. For a pot, water until a little runs out of the drainage holes.
About an inch of water a week, ideally from a soaker hose or drip line so the fruit and leaves stay dry.
Need help judging moisture? Read how to check the soil and water the roots.
If the plant looks unhappy
Too dry
Small, hard berries and browning leaf edges.
If the soil is dry, water deeply and check it again tomorrow.
Too wet
Grey fuzz on the fruit and crowns that rot away.
If the soil is wet, wait before watering again and check that excess water can drain away.
Too dry
Too wetWhile it grows
Check on your plant and do these jobs as they come up.
1. Pinch off the first flowers
For the first few weeks after planting. It feels wrong, and it is what gives you a real crop later.
2. Mulch with straw
Half an inch to an inch between the rows keeps the fruit off the soil and away from slugs.
3. Manage the runnersOptional
Cut them off, or place them where you want new plants. Left alone they crowd the bed and cost you fruit.
4. Mulch again for winterOptional
In cold areas, four to six inches of straw over the plants once temperatures stay below 40F, after two or three frosts.
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.
Pick and store it
Use the plant's signs of readiness, then harvest gently.
1. Check if it is ready
Red all over, including the shoulders around the stem. A white shoulder means another day.
2. Pick it
Pick when the fruit is dry, pinching the stem just above the berry rather than pulling the fruit itself. Refrigerate straight away.
3. Keep it fresh
Do not wash until you are about to eat them. Keep in a single layer in the fridge.
Typical keeping time: 2 to 5 days.
You might pick about 1 to 2 quarts per plant. Weather, variety, and care can change this amount.
Common problems
Slugs and snails
Can ruin the crop
Look for: Ragged holes in leaves and silvery trails in the morning.
What to do: Go out after dark with a torch and collect them. Beer traps work in a small bed.
They go for ripe fruit resting on the soil.
How to prevent it next time
Prevention: Water in the morning so the ground is drier at night. Clear hiding places near the bed.
Aphids
A nuisance
Look for: Clusters on the tips and under leaves, sticky leaves, and ants running up the stems.
What to do: Knock them off with a jet of water, or rub them off by hand. Insecticidal soap for a heavy attack.
How to prevent it next time
Prevention: Do not overfeed with nitrogen, which makes the soft growth they love. Leave a few flowers nearby for ladybirds.
Grey mould
Can ruin the crop
Look for: Grey fuzz on ripening fruit, fading flowers or damp leaves, often where plant parts touch or stay wet.
What to do: Remove affected fruit and leaves and put them in the bin, not the compost heap.
The most common disease of strawberries, and the usual reason a picking is lost.
How to prevent it next time
Prevention: Pick ripe fruit promptly, keep fruit off the soil, and give plants room.
Powdery mildew
Common, worth watching for
Look for: Pale, powdery patches on the upper side of leaves, spreading until the leaf yellows.
What to do: Remove the worst leaves. In a bad year, a milk or potassium bicarbonate spray slows it down.
How to prevent it next time
Prevention: Leave room between plants for air to move. Water the soil, not the leaves.
Common mistakes
Burying the crown
The commonest way a new strawberry plant dies. The crown sits at soil level, not under it.
Expecting a crop in year one
Most plants give little the first summer. Pinching the first flowers off is what buys the second year's crop.
Letting runners run
A bed that fills with daughter plants produces small fruit and lots of leaves.
Watering over the top
Wet fruit and wet leaves are how grey mould gets started.
Companion plants for strawberries
Companion plants for strawberriesSome of this is measured in trials and some is long-standing garden practice. Each note below says which it is.
Good together
Trials show a real benefit:
- BorageIn UK garden trials, strawberries grown beside borage gave about 35% more fruit and 32% more weight, with better-looking berries.Measured in trials
Gardeners have long paired these:
- GarlicSome strawberry growers plant garlic among their plants; the garlic scent is proposed, not proven, to repel aphids.Traditional garden practice
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
- TomatoTomatoes can leave Verticillium wilt in the soil, so do not start a new strawberry bed where tomatoes grew.Recommended by extension programs
- PotatoPotatoes can leave Verticillium wilt in the soil, so do not start a new strawberry bed where potatoes grew.Recommended by extension programs
Questions about strawberries
Questions about strawberriesTap a question to see the answer.
Will strawberries grow where I live?
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.
What soil is best for strawberries?
- 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.
Before changing your soil, learn how to test soil acidity and understand the result.
When and how deep do I plant strawberries?
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.
What happens to strawberries through the year?
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
How do I give strawberries a better start?
Simple ways to help your strawberry grow, from the soil up.
Start with good soil
Work well rotted compost through the bed before planting. The plants stay put for years, so this is the one chance to do it.
Give the soil a cover
Half 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.
Help with pollination
Bees do the work. Misshapen berries usually mean poor pollination rather than a problem with the plant.
Feed with care
Feed after the harvest rather than before it, or if runners are sparse. Compost or an organic nitrogen source such as blood meal.
Start with good soil
Give the soil a cover
Help with pollinationA soil test before planting is worth it. Avoid ground that recently grew tomatoes, potatoes or peppers.
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.
Quick answers about strawberry
One question each, answered first, with the source named.
- How to Plant Strawberry Plants
Plant strawberries in spring with the crown exactly at soil level, 12 to 24 inches apart, in full sun.
Helpful gardening guides
Helpful gardening guidesDig into the next thing you need, from starting a garden to getting watering right.
What Size Container for Vegetables? Pot Size Guide
What size container for vegetables and herbs: how to choose a pot with enough root room, drainage, stability, and water for the crop you want to grow.
Raised Bed Garden Guide for Beginners
A raised bed garden guide for beginners: decide whether a bed helps, choose a reachable size, fill it with soil that drains, and keep it watered.
Watering Guide
How to check the soil, water the root area, and avoid rigid schedules that do not fit your garden.
Starting your first garden? Choose your space and get it ready, then plan local planting times.
Browse all gardening guidesAlso 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
- University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Master Gardener Program, Time of planting · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, cool-season crops are timed to months averaging 55°F to 75°F.
- 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.
- Ecological Entomology (University of Sussex study), Companion planting to attract pollinators increases the yield and quality of strawberry fruit in gardens and allotments · checked 2026-10-28
- Royal Horticultural Society, Three ways to use companion planting · checked 2026-10-28
- Penn State Extension, Strawberry Disease - Verticillium Wilt · checked 2026-10-28