Growing strawberries is a great way to add fresh fruit to your home garden, and it couldn’t be easier.
The first step in enjoying home-grown strawberries is learning what it takes to care for the plants year after year.
I’ve designed this detailed guide to teach you all about how to grow strawberries. I’ve included information on everything from water, sunlight, soil, and fertilizer, to pruning, harvesting, managing pests, and much more.
Table of Contents
Strawberries (Fragaria x anannassa) are a cold hardy, fruit-bearing perennial that’s native to South America.
They are known for their thick green foliage and red, sweet fruits, and they make a lovely ground cover. The oval-shaped, fuzzy, serrated leaves and flowers grow on thin stems.
Blossoms typically appear in the spring and are most commonly white, but can also be pink or yellow.
They’re prolific spreaders that can quickly fill up a flower bed or container. After fruiting, they send out runners, or tendrils, that will develop into new ‘daughter’ plants wherever they touch the ground.
There are three main categories of strawberry plants, and each has many varieties with subtle differences in temperature tolerance, disease resistance, and more.
Start by choosing the type you’d like to grow, then select the proper cultivar for your climate and garden.
Strawberries are perennials in most zones. The exact hardiness range depends on the variety, but anyone in zones 3-10 can grow them.
The plants prefer a cool environment, and will struggle in the heat – especially in hot, dry climates. So if you live in a warmer region, make sure yours gets afternoon shade and regular waterings.
Strawberries grow from self-fertile flowers after they’re pollinated by bees, insects, or the wind. The
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