How to Grow Strawberry
Fragaria × ananassa
Strawberries need full sun, fertile, well-drained soil, and consistent moisture. Plant bare-root runners in late summer or early autumn for the best first crop, or pot-grown plants in spring. Space 35–45 cm apart in rows, or grow in containers and hanging baskets. Mulch with straw when fruits form to keep berries clean and reduce rot. Water regularly, especially during flowering and fruiting. Net against birds. Pick when fully red all over. Replace plants every 3–4 years as yields decline; propagate from healthy runners to maintain your stock.
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
High-potash liquid feed fortnightly once flowering begins. Top-dress with balanced fertiliser in early spring.
Watch For
- Slugs
- Botrytis (grey mould)
- Vine weevil
- Powdery mildew
- Birds
Companions
Borage, Lettuce, Spinach, Thyme
Track your Strawberry care schedule — pruning, feeding, and seasonal tasks
Start planning freeCare Requirements
☀️ Light
Full sun for best fruiting
Requires full sun for maximum fruit production and quality.
🌿 Spacing
35-45cm apart in rows 90cm apart
Allow adequate spacing for runner development and air circulation.
🍂 Mulching
Straw mulch under plants during fruiting
Apply clean straw around plants when fruits start to form to keep fruits clean and prevent soil splash.
💧 Watering
Regular watering, especially during fruiting
Water regularly throughout growing season. Critical during flowering and fruiting. Avoid wetting foliage to prevent disease.
🌱 Fertilizing
Balanced feeding in spring, high-potash when fruiting
Apply balanced fertilizer in early spring. Switch to high-potash feed when flowers appear to boost fruit production.
🌿 Runner_management
Remove runners for better fruiting or peg down for new plants
Remove runners to concentrate energy into fruit production, or peg down to create new plants.
Growing Tips
Autumn planting pays off
Plant in late summer or early autumn so crowns establish before winter and crop well the following year.
Straw down at flowering
Tuck clean straw or strawberry mats under developing fruit to keep berries off damp soil.
Net before they ripen
Net plants as fruit colours to stop birds taking the crop before you do.
Post-harvest tidy
After the last pick, trim old foliage to 10 cm above the crown and remove unwanted runners.
Pests & Diseases
Pest Slugs and Snails
Identification: Irregular holes in fruit and leaves; slime trails on and around plants; damage worst overnight
- Straw mulch under fruit to create a dry barrier
- Copper tape around raised beds or containers
- Beer traps and hand-picking at dusk
- Encourage hedgehogs, frogs and ground beetles
- Ferric phosphate slug pellets scattered thinly around plants
Pest Vine Weevil
Identification: Adults are dull black beetles with notched leaf edges; white C-shaped grubs with brown heads found in compost around roots
- Apply Steinernema kraussei nematode biological control in autumn (soil temp above 5C)
- Check containers in autumn and remove grubs by hand
- Encourage birds and hedgehogs
- Acetamiprid drench for container plants
Pest Strawberry Blossom Weevil
Identification: Flower buds hang limply on partially severed stalks; small dark weevil visible on plants in early morning
- Remove and destroy affected buds promptly
- Grow under fine mesh to exclude adults
- Pyrethrin spray at bud stage if damage is severe
Disease Grey Mould (Botrytis) Botrytis cinerea
Symptoms: Fuzzy grey mould on ripening fruit; fruit turns soft and rots; flowers may also be affected in wet weather
Treatment: Remove and destroy affected fruit immediately. Improve air circulation.
Prevention: Space plants well. Remove old foliage after fruiting. Straw mulch keeps fruit off damp soil. Avoid overhead watering.
Disease Powdery Mildew Podosphaera aphanis
Symptoms: White powdery patches on leaf undersides; leaves curl upwards showing purple-red undersides; fruit may taste poor
Treatment: Remove badly affected leaves. Improve air circulation.
Prevention: Space plants well. Avoid drought stress. Water at the base. Choose resistant varieties.
Disease Crown Rot Phytophthora cactorum
Symptoms: Wilting of outer leaves; brown discolouration inside the crown when cut open; plant collapse
Treatment: Remove and destroy affected plants. Do not replant strawberries in the same spot for several years.
Prevention: Plant on well-drained soil. Avoid planting too deep. Use certified disease-free runners.
Popular Varieties
June-bearing
Everbearing
Alpine
Chandler
A standard June-bearing variety known for very large, wedge-shaped fruit with brilliant red skin. Produces a single, massive crop in early summer.
Seascape
A highly productive day-neutral variety that bears fruit from late spring through early autumn. Berries are large and attractive with good flavour, suitable for containers.
Elsanta
The commercial standard across Europe. Mid-season June-bearer with glossy orange-red, firm fruit and excellent shelf life. Sweet flavour, high yields, and good disease resistance.
Cambridge Favourite
A classic British heritage variety with RHS Award of Garden Merit. Reliable mid-season cropper producing medium-sized, rounded pale-red berries. Performs well in a wide range of soils and conditions.
Malling Centenary
A premium early main-season variety bred at East Malling, UK. Large, uniform, high-gloss scarlet fruit with exceptional sweetness. Up to 95 percent Class 1 yield potential.
Florence
A late-season British variety bred at East Malling. Firm, brightly coloured berries with excellent sweet flavour. Very good resistance to powdery mildew, wilt, and vine weevil.
Honeoye
An early-season June-bearer from Cornell University. Large, bright-red, firm berries with sweet flavour. Exceptionally winter-hardy and among the heaviest-yielding varieties. Popular in the northeast US and UK.
Earliglow
One of the earliest June-bearers, prized for its deep, classic strawberry flavour. Medium-sized, deep-red conical berries. Vigorous plants with good disease resistance. A long-standing favourite in North American home gardens.
Albion
A premier day-neutral variety from California. Large, long-conical, firm berries with rich sweetness, produced continuously from late spring to first frost. Resistant to Verticillium wilt and Phytophthora crown rot.
Ozark Beauty
A popular everbearing variety from Arkansas. Large, deep cherry-red, heart-shaped berries with sweet dessert quality. Produces two main crops plus steady yields between. Resistant to leaf scorch and leaf spot.
Hapil
A mid-season British heritage variety praised for outstanding eating quality and reliable yields. Produces large, pale-red berries with juicy, sweet flesh. Good disease resistance and performs well in most soils.
Korona
A mid-season Dutch variety producing large, dark-red, conical berries with excellent aromatic flavour. High-yielding and vigorous with good resistance to Verticillium wilt. Widely grown in northern Europe.
Royal Sovereign
A heritage British variety with legendary flavour, famously served at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation banquet. Mid-season cropper with medium-sized, aromatic berries. Moderate yields but unmatched taste.
Allstar
A reliable mid-season June-bearer widely adapted across the US. Large, firm, light-red berries with mild, sweet flavour. Strong disease resistance including to red stele and Verticillium wilt.
Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 30 cm |
| Row spacing | 45 cm |
| Mature height | 20 cm |
| Mature spread | 30 cm |
For matted row systems. Plants are spaced widely and their runners are allowed to fill in the space. For hill systems, spacing is closer (30 cm).
Log Strawberry in your garden — track growth, care, and harvests year after year
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