Perennial Berry · zones 5–9 · 29 varieties

Strawberry

Name: Strawberry growing data
Creator: GardenTrack

Fragaria × ananassa

Rosaceae — the same plant family as apple, peach, cherry, plum and 4 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is a perennial berry for USDA zones 5–9. It wants full sun and pH 5.8–6.5 soil, with about 1–1.5 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 0–2 yr. Watch for tarnished plant bug and gray mold. Below: its full sourced profile from 18 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 5–9 — USDA USDA

Sun Full sun

Water Moderate

First harvest 0–2 yr

Mature size 6–12 in

Spacing 12–24 in

Soil pH 5.8–6.5

Frost Hardy

When to plant strawberrytypical · zone 6b

Your zone

…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Growing

Flowering

Fruit set

Ripening

Harvest

Growing

Dormant

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow. We don't yet have the timing to place one stage (establishment), so it isn't shown rather than guessed.

Growing strawberryevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones: 5–9
Sun: Full sun
Soil pH: 5.8–6.5
Soil texture: Sandy loam, Loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance: Hardy

The plant

Mature height: 6–12 in
Mature spread: 1–2 ft
Growth rate: Moderateest
Spacing in row: 12–24 in
Between rows: 36–48 in
Planting depth: At soil level
Container size: 1–2 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support: Self-supportingest
Grown from: Transplant, Runners

We looked for a better container-size number than the one above and found nothing published. It is our best estimate, not a guess we skipped checking on.

There is no line here for the point in its life when water matters most, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.

Water & feeding

Water needs: Moderate
Water per week: 1–1.5 in/wk
Feeding: Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest: 0–2 yr
Chill hours: 200–400 hrs
Pollination: Self fertile
Harvest cues: Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at: 30 °F
Winter kill below: 15 °F

There is no line here for how long after the last frost to plant it out, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first

PestsTarnished plant bugStrawberry bud weevilSpotted wing drosophilaSlugsAphidsThrips

DiseasesGray moldLeaf spotLeaf scorchAnthracnosePowdery mildewRed steleVerticillium wiltBlack root rotAngular leaf spot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

Companionswhat to plant near strawberry

Cabbage familyTraditional

Flagged on the classic charts, including WVU's. Mechanism murky; the canon is consistent.

Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

Featured varieties29 with their own page

AC Wendy Junebearing Albion Day Neutral Alexandria Alpine Alpine Allstar Junebearing Annapolis Junebearing Brunswick Junebearing Cabot Junebearing Camarosa Junebearing Cavendish Junebearing Chandler Junebearing Darselect Junebearing Earliglow Junebearing Eversweet Everbearing Evie-2 Day Neutral Flavorfest Junebearing Fort Laramie Everbearing Galletta Junebearing Honeoye Junebearing Jewel Junebearing Mara des Bois Everbearing Ozark Beauty Everbearing Quinault Everbearing San Andreas Day Neutral Seascape Day Neutral Sparkle Junebearing Surecrop Junebearing Tribute Day Neutral Tristar Day Neutral White Soul Alpine Alpine

Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 29 are in the full list below.

All 29 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked

Variety	Type	Days	Color	Size	What it is known for
AC Wendy	Junebearing	—	Red	Medium
Albion	Day Neutral	—	Red	Large
Alexandria Alpine Heirloom	Alpine	—	Red	Small
Allstar	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Annapolis	Junebearing	—	Red	Medium
Brunswick	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Cabot	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Camarosa	Junebearing	—	Red	Large	Hand Picked Nursery describes this astakes the heat
Cavendish	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Chandler	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Darselect	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Earliglow	Junebearing	—	Red	Medium
Eversweet	Everbearing	—	Red	Large	Stark Bro's describes this astakes the heat
Evie-2	Day Neutral	—	Red	Large
Flavorfest	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Fort Laramie	Everbearing	—	Red	Large	Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. describes this astakes the cold
Galletta	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Honeoye	Junebearing	—	Red	Large	Nourse Farms describes this astakes the cold
Jewel	Junebearing	—	Red	Large
Mara des Bois	Everbearing	—	Red	Small
Ozark Beauty Heirloom	Everbearing	—	Red	Large	Stark Bro's describes this astakes the cold
Quinault	Everbearing	—	Red	Large
San Andreas	Day Neutral	—	Red	Large
Seascape	Day Neutral	—	Red	Large
Sparkle Heirloom	Junebearing	—	Red	Medium	Nourse Farms describes this astakes the cold
Surecrop	Junebearing	—	Red	Medium
Tribute	Day Neutral	—	Red	Medium
Tristar	Day Neutral	—	Red	Medium
White Soul Alpine Heirloom	Alpine	—	White	Small

Sources18 cited · 11 organizations

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
Cornell University Cooperative Extension (Cornell Fruit Resources: Berries)
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Mississippi State University Extension
NC State Extension
Penn State Extension
University of Maryland Extension
University of Minnesota Extension
University of New Hampshire Extension
Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 20 of the 23 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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