Strawberry Plant Growing: Plant, Care for 10 Strawberry Types, Beds, Containers

Image Credit: shonamcq³⁵

Strawberry Plant Facts: An Overview of the Delicious Fruit

The Strawberry plant not only produces delicious treats for your taste buds, but also remains one of the easiest plants to grow in your home garden.

While you can trace back the origins of the Strawberry plant to Europe,¹ you can now find it across the world.

This also explains why scrumptious Strawberries are such a sought after fruit all over the globe.

When you look at a Strawberry plant, the small plant with lush green leaves looks something right out of a fairytale. The striking red fruit adds to their visual appeal, while the sight of beautiful blossoms acts like a cherry on top.

These round blossoms come in many different colors that include but are not limited to white, yellow, burgundy, and pink flowers. Because the typical size of a Strawberry plant is less than 12 inches in height, you can easily grow it in beds and containers alike.

Strawberry plants also grow large and stringy shoots called “runners,” which take roots in the ground to grow new plants.

You might find it extremely interesting that while we commonly know the large and fleshy Strawberries as the fruit of the Strawberry plant,¹ it is actually the set of tiny gold seeds on top of them that technically qualifies as the fruit. These yellow seeds are called “achenes” and hold tiny seeds within them.

This makes the Strawberry fruit that we know and love the “accessory fruit.”³ But this doesn’t stop anyone, including you, from referring to the red flower receptacle as the actual Strawberry fruit.

While you can find many species and cultivars of Strawberries, you can categorize Strawberry plants into three sections: June-bearing, Everbearing, and Day-neutral.^4,5

June-bearing Strawberries only bear fruit once a year, while everbearing Strawberries deliver fruit twice a year. Lately, you can also see the Day-neutral or Woodland Strawberry plant gaining popularity.

You can notice Day-neutral Strawberries bearing fruit throughout the growing season. But you may also note that June-bearing Strawberry plants have larger fruits and bigger yields than their Everbearing and Day-neutral counterparts.

After learning this information, it can get easier for you to remember that all types of Strawberries fall into one of these categories. But once again, if you want bigger fruits with larger yields, you may want to choose a variety of June-bearing Strawberries.

While you may only get fruits from June-bearing Strawberry plants once a year, it is well worth the quality over quantity. If you are trying to reduce the carbon footprint of vegan diet, growing your own Strawberries can be a good step for you.⁶

Now that you have these details at hand, you can move forward with learning more about Strawberry plant growing: plant, care for 10 Strawberry types, beds, containers.

10 of the Most Popular Strawberry Plant Types

The Strawberry plant has more than 100 species and subspecies,⁷ which means that you have an extensive variety of plants to choose for your home garden.

To help you get started, here is an overview of 10 of the most popular types of Strawberry plants.

After choosing the type of strawberries you’d like to grow, you’ll need to prepare your raised bed, lawn area, or containers.

Growing Zone Information: Where To Plant Strawberries

Before you decide whether to grow your Strawberries in a bed or a container, you need to learn about suitable planting zones for them. These planting zones are recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.¹⁰

You can find these zones ranging between 1A-13B. Each zone refers to the area’s annual average minimum winter temperature.

This helps you determine whether your local environment is suitable for growing your very own Strawberry plant.

For a typical Strawberry plant, you can find the suggested USDA Plant Hardiness Zones to range between 5-9.¹ But some varieties can thrive in areas that fall outside of that range.

For instance, the ‘Flavorfest’ June-bearing Strawberry plant can grow in areas that are categorized under USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4-7.¹¹

You may also notice that some June-bearing and Day-neutral varieties are suitable to grow in colder climates.¹²

(Image: syahirhakim³⁴)

But they need proper care in order to thrive.

This requires you to look at the recommended planting zones for each Strawberry plant before you decide to bring it home.

By following this practice, you can save yourself from a lot of heartache and lost resources that result from trying to grow a plant in an environment that is not suitable for it.

Planting Tips: How To Grow Strawberries

After learning about the different types of Strawberry plants, you might be excited to learn about how to actually grow them.

The following information gives you an overview on taking care of your Strawberry plants for optimal results.

What Does a Strawberry Plant Look Like: How To Identify

You can start knowing the Strawberry plant by remembering that it is a forb,²⁹ which makes it a herbaceous flowering plant that is different from grass. This also means that it doesn’t have any woody tissue.

You may find typical Strawberry plants to be up to 1 foot long and around 1-2 feet in width. These plants have small green leaves as well as long and stringy shoots called runners branching out of them.

You can also note that Strawberry blossoms typically fall under types of white flowers, but they can also be yellow, pink, and burgundy in color. Fully-ripened Strawberries are typically red in color and firm to the touch.

When To Plant Strawberries for the Best Yield

Typically, the best time for you to plant Strawberries is early spring.

This holds true for June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral varieties alike.

(Image: snappetysima³⁴)

With that being said, you might need to take a closer look at the type of Strawberry plant that you plan to grow and the area where you want to plant it.

It’s because when you live in specific climates, you might want to plant your Strawberries in the fall.¹³

What Type of Containers Do You Need?

If you are planting your Strawberry plant in a container, make sure that it is well-drained. Other than that, you can grow Strawberry plants in virtually any type of container ranging from pots to hanging baskets.¹⁴

This applies to all varieties of Strawberry plants.

Do You Have To Remove Runners To Grow Better Strawberries?

You can remember runners as the shoots of the Strawberry plant that take roots in nearby ground.

Many gardeners remove these runners to get better yields and improve the size of their Strawberries.¹⁵

Best Way To Grow: What Are the Best Growing Conditions for Strawberry Plant?

You can remember the best growing conditions for Strawberry plant with the following points.¹⁶

• Rich and loamy soil with organic matter
• Well-drained soil
• Soil pH between 5.5-6.8¹⁷
• Full sunlight
• 1-2 inches of water a week

What Are the Watering Needs for Strawberry Plants?

The watering needs for Strawberry plants are pretty straightforward for you to understand. Your new Strawberry plants may typically require 1 inch of water per week while they take the time to establish.¹⁸

Afterwards, you can slightly adjust this to 1-2 inches of water per week.

 Spacing: How Far Apart To Plant Strawberries

As a general rule of thumb, you should keep a space of 1-2.5 feet between your Strawberry plants.¹

This equally applies to Strawberry plants that you grow in beds and containers.

(Image: ivabalk³⁴)

If you plan to grow various plants in rows, you should keep a space of around 3-5 feet between these rows.¹

This keeps Strawberry runners from taking roots near other plants and prevents disturbances in the growth of neighboring plants.

 Growth Rate: How Long It Takes To Grow Strawberries

When you plant a new Strawberry plant seed, it may typically take six months to reach its full height of around 1 foot.¹⁹ It is because Strawberry seeds require a break of dormancy,²⁰ which is when seeds germinate after adjusting to their surroundings.

From the break of dormancy, your Strawberry plant may take two months to reach its full height.

This is also why most gardeners get Strawberry seedlings in order to reduce the wait time for fully growing their plants. However, you need to remember that some seedlings may still take around 6 months to reach full height.¹⁹

This depends on environmental factors. You can also remove Strawberry runners to promote plant growth.

When your Strawberry plant blooms, it may take around a month for it to bear fruit that you can pick afterwards.²¹ But you should make sure that you only pick ripe berries.

Otherwise, you might not fully enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Strawberry Plant Care: What Are Some of the Common Pests?

While you may be happy to know that Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow in your home garden, they still carry some challenges. This includes pests infestations.

Some of the most common pests of the Strawberry plant include but are not limited to Strawberry sap bugs, Strawberry bud weevils, and tarnished plant bugs.

Depending upon the type of pests that you notice on your Strawberry plant, you can find specific ways to get rid of them.²²

How To Stop Strawberry Plant Disease: Prevention and Care

Some of the most common Strawberry diseases include black root rot,³¹ powdery mildew, and leaf scorch. If you want to learn more about how to stop Strawberry plant disease, you need to follow plant care best practices.

This includes giving your plants full sunlight, ensuring proper soil drainage, and preventing winter damage.

How Much Sunlight Does Strawberry Plant Need Each Day?

If there’s one thing you need to know about the Strawberry plant, it’s that it loves sunlight.

You should try to give your Strawberry plant more than 10 hours of sunlight everyday.⁵

(Image: danielsfotowelt³⁴)

But if that is not possible, you should treat them to at least 6 hours of daily sunlight.

This also has another benefit: When you water your plants earlier in the day, proper sunlight helps dry them out to prevent excess soil dampness.²³

How To Plant Strawberry Roots

Before you plant Strawberry roots from runners, you need to give them some time to grow by putting them in rich and organic soil.

You can do this by putting the soil in a plastic bag and packing the runner into it while it is still attached to the plant.

Once the runner takes roots, you can transplant it into the ground or in a container.

How To Plant: How To Start Growing a Strawberry From a Seed

It is important for you to remember that growing a Strawberry plant from a seed is typically not a recommended approach.²⁴ It is because most Strawberries don’t respond well to seed planting at all.

Only specific types of Strawberries called alpine Strawberries mostly thrive under this method.²⁵

But even for these Strawberries, when you plant the seeds that are found within the Strawberry achenes (which are the several tiny gold “seeds” on the red fruit), they can take approximately 3 weeks to germinate.

It can then take around 2 months for the germinated seeds to grow into tiny seedlings. This creates an excessive amount of wait for you to grow your own Strawberry plant.

That is why you may want to take a leaf out of other home gardeners’ books and look into growing Strawberries from bare root plants that are available for most Strawberry varieties.²⁶ These plants are grown into seedlings by sellers, who wash off all soil from their roots before selling them.

After planting, your bare root Strawberry plant can typically start growing almost immediately.

But if you do want to grow your Strawberry plant from a seed, you can follow these steps.²⁵

1. Make sure you start 8 weeks before the last frost.
2. You need to sow the seeds in a container with a seed starting mix.
3. You should invest in a grow light to give the container consistent light for up to 45 days.
4. You should keep the soil moist but prevent excessive dampness.
5. Once seeds germinate, introduce them to outdoor environments for a week by putting them outside only during the day.
6. After the seeds have gone through this introductory period, you can plant them outdoors in early spring.

How To Start Growing a Strawberry Plant From a Seedling

You might be happy to know that it is fairly easy to start growing a Strawberry plant from a seedling.

These seedlings are typically available in the form of bare root plants.

(Image: saideclg³⁴)

You can plant them in a bed or container with organically-rich and loamy soil by early spring. You also need to give them full sunlight with 1-inch of water per week.

Usually, bare root seedlings start growing immediately after planting.²⁴

How To Start Growing From a Cutting

You can start growing a Strawberry plant from a cutting. The best way to follow this method comes in the form of planting a Strawberry runner, which is a shoot of the Strawberry plant that takes roots in the surrounding soil.²⁷

By finding Strawberry runners that are already rooted, you can take them from the ground and transplant them into a bed or container of your choice.

Alternatively, if you find a Strawberry plant with runners that aren’t rooted, you can put the tip of the runner in a plastic bag full of rich soil while the runner is still attached to the Strawberry plant. You can then wrap the top of the plastic bag around the runner with tape or rope.

It may take a few weeks for the runner to take root in the soil in the bag. But once that happens, you can take the runner off the plant and transplant it into the ground.

Another way to growing a Strawberry plant from a cutting is to take other cuttings from Strawberry plants, dip them in rooting powder, and then plant them in a container until they grow into a seedling.²⁸

While you can find the Strawberries virtually everywhere, growing them on your own can fill you with a certain sense of joy, pride, and absolute confidence. By learning how to grow a Strawberry plant, you can enjoy this delicious treat for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions About Strawberry Plant