Why Grow Them?
Strawberries are one of those foods that simply weren’t meant to be on grocery store shelves. The red berries in clamshell cases found in the produce department may look like strawberries, but those varieties have been cultivated to withstand more handling and bumping around during transportation. This increased “toughness” comes at the cost of flavor and texture.
One might say if you’ve never had a homegrown strawberry, then you’ve never really had a strawberry at all!
Are They Difficult To Grow?
Strawberries are easy to grow. They can be grown in containers, hanging baskets, or in-ground but wherever they are, they need full sun.
Fertilizing is especially important if growing in containers, but in-ground strawberries will also benefit from the nutrient boost. Strawberries are relatively forgiving if they’re a little under (or over) watered.
What are the best strawberries to grow?
Before you buy strawberry plants, there’s one important decision to make:
How will you use your berries?
It depends.
Some strawberry varieties will produce a few berries throughout the season. Other varieties will produce all their berries at once, and then won’t produce much after that.
If you want to be able to pick a handful now and then, go with the former. If you want to make jam or pie, opt for the latter.
How will I know the difference?
Strawberries fall into two categories: ever-bearing and june-bearing.
Junebearing
June-bearing strawberries will produce a large amount of berries all at once in early summer.
This category is best for anyone wanting to make pies, jams, or anything else which needs a lot of strawberries at the same time. After the initial crop, the plants won’t produce much more. Sometimes, a smaller fall crop comes along, but that depends on the care they receive throughout the summer months.
Some June-bearing varieties we may carry are:
- Allstar
- Earliglow
- Jewel
Everbearing
Ever-bearing strawberries will produce fruit throughout the summer, but they won’t provide a large crop all at once.
This kind is perfect if you’re looking to consistently harvest a smaller amount of strawberries. For example, if you’re adding some fresh fruit to your morning breakfast, or as a topping to your ice cream on a hot day.
Some varieties we may carry are:
- Ozark Beauty
- Eversweet
- Fort Laramie
- Seascape
- Quinault
