Everbearing strawberries
Basically, these have 2 harvests per year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Their berries may not be as large as ever bearing (which we will talk about later), but the fact that they are supposed to yield 2 harvests per year make them worth considering.
June Bearing
Basically, these have one harvest per year. You can probably guess which month it starts in...hence the name June bearing.
Day Neutral
These are the strawberries that I am least familiar with. They have 3 harvests per year. One caveat: my first strawberry was Albion, which is considered to be day neutral, but I didn't see that. It behaved as an everbearing strawberry. This might be due to my zone, but it was not a big deal as we did get a large crop from them.
Selecting the best strawberries
First, you want to select cultivars that grow well in your area. Your local nursery and local growers are a good starting point, but you can also check your local extension service. If possible, you might want to sample different berries to see what you like. My Albions were a gift and while I was happy to get them, they are not, in my opinion, the best tasting berry. We lost that crop after 3 years. When they died we replaced them with Ozark Beauty, which is an everbearing strawberry, and it was like, "What happened to my strawberries? These are delicious!"
You also want to select disease-resistant varieties. That does not mean you won't get a disease, it just means, genetically speaking, that your berries are less likely to get the disease.
Finally, you'll need to decide if you want daughter plants or not. Most strawberries do produce runners, but the rate of production varies, and some do not produce runners at all. With my main strawberries (All Star and Ozark Beauty), I do want runners and that is why I chose them. Some sources say that day neutral strawberries do not produce runners, but my Albion strawberries did, they were just at a much slower pace. More on that in a separate post.
Now you have to choose how you want to start your plants. Strawberries can be started from seed, bare roots or live plants (also called starts). I'll be honest, I have not started mine from seed, but I'm willing to try. I have had the most success with live plants, but don't rule out bare root strawberries. Last year I purchased All Star strawberry roots at Walmart. All but one died...and that one lived and put out 20 runners (more on that later).
When you get your plants or roots, you'll need to wash them to prevent anthracinose. Keeping dirt and debris off the leaves will also help. My main strawberries are in beds, however they can be grown in pots or a hydroponic system. I plan on experimenting with these at a later date. When I planted them, I did not use compost that time as the compost was a bit wet. Strawberries do not like wet feet, too much heat (above 85° F) or cold (below 28°F if they have blossoms or 30° F with no blossoms). However you can and should if possible. If not, worm castings work well. I put it under the plant. Make sure to spread the roots out and then cover with soil, but again be careful that you don't cover the crown. Next I add mulch to help control weeds and amend the soil. I water mine as needed and fertilize every couple of weeks in spring and summer.
Do keep those temperatures in mind. However, remember there are things you can do to keep your plants warm in winter and cool in the summer. I use row covers or even old sheets or empty flower pots (turned upside down) in winter and shade cloth (more on this in a separate post) in summer.
I know it's a lot but if you have any questions, feel free to comment, or check with your county extension service. I'll try and post a link from another grower so you can actually see how to plant strawberry plants. Her method may vary a little bit from mine but it does work. Good luck and happy gardening!
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