Strawberries are herbaceous plants whose fruits grow close to the ground. Of the numerous species, only cultivated strawberries as well as wild and monthly strawberries are interesting for growing in the home garden. You also have the choice between once, several times - and always bearing varieties. A distinction is also made according to the quality of the planting material and how they were raised. Both the variety and the plant quality determine the best time to plant.
Best planting time for strawberries
It's easy to lose track of the wide range of strawberry plants on offer. The greatest importance in strawberry cultivation is undoubtedly cultivated or garden strawberries; they practically play a leading role. These include both single-bearing and multiple-bearing (remontant) varieties. The once-bearing varieties are further divided into early, medium-early and late varieties. The harvest season extends from May to June/July.
In contrast, multi-bearing strawberries fruit twice a year, once in June/July and, after a short period of rest, again in August/September. The situation is different again with the ever-bearing monthly strawberries, which come from the local wild strawberry and continually produce tasty but comparatively small fruits from June to October. But not only the respective variety but also the plants themselves decide the best time for planting.
Once bearing strawberries
Single-bearing strawberry varieties are most commonly grown in the garden. The best time to plant these varieties is in summer, from mid-July to the end of August. Small and cheaper plants can also be used for summer planting. Planted in summer, strawberries tend to produce best in the second and third year after planting.
- Planting in the warm season makes the most sense
- This is how strawberry plants can grow well until the first frost
- They lay new flower buds between the end of August and October
- Planting in spring is also possible
- However, yields are lower and fruits are significantly smaller
- Planting in autumn is not recommended
- Young plants could easily rot in the soil
When the young plants are planted, many of their fine roots are usually torn off. The plant then needs some time to be able to form new roots and grow again. This works best in warmer temperatures. For this reason, autumn planting is not recommended. To obtain young plants, it makes sense to mark the plants that were most productive and use their offshoots for propagation.
Tip:
What the 'Mieze Schindler' was in the west of Germany, the 'Senga Sengana' was in the east; both are probably among the best-known single-bearing strawberry varieties, which are just as popular as the 'Neue Mieze', 'Elsanta', ' Korona', 'Elvira', 'Salsa', 'Avanta' or 'Tenira' are very suitable for growing in the garden.
Multi-bearing (remontant) strawberries
Remontant or multiple-bearing varieties can be harvested twice a year, with the second harvest in late summer usually being significantly smaller than the first in early summer. The fruits are also not that big anymore. Multi-bearing varieties can be planted from August to September. Planting in spring is also possible. Then the plants should be bigger. If, on the other hand, they are very small, you have to forego a harvest this year.
Tip:
Recommended multiple-bearing varieties include 'Mieze Nova', 'Sweatheart', 'Ostara' and 'Rapella.'
Always bearing varieties
The ever-bearing varieties include monthly strawberries and wild strawberries. The monthly strawberry does not come from the garden strawberry, but is the result of breeding with the wild strawberry. These ever-bearing strawberries produce a variety of very tasty fruits throughout the summer. They fruit over several months, usually from June to October. However, the fruits of both species are significantly smaller than those of the garden strawberry. The best time to plant both monthly and wild strawberries is in spring between April and early May, and possibly even into mid-summer.
Tip:
Among the ever-bearing strawberries, the giant monthly strawberry 'Rimona' with juicy, medium-sized fruits as well as the varieties 'Rügen' and 'Alexandira' are particularly recommended. The climbing strawberry 'Klettertoni' is particularly suitable for hanging baskets and pots.
Planting times according to root qualities
The best time to plant strawberries depends not only on the variety but also on the planting material. Plants with pot balls, bare roots and so-called frigo plants are available in stores, some of which differ in planting times.
Plants with pot balls
- Plants with pot balls usually grown in small peat pots
- You will be permanently supplied with all the important nutrients
- Can be planted immediately after purchase or stored for a while
- When buying, pay attention to he althy and vital plants
- You should have at least three fully formed leaves
- Roots should be well developed and the heart of the plant should be intact
- Plant plants around July together with a rottable clay pot
- You can harvest the following year
Bare root plants
Bare-rooted strawberry plants are sold in stores as green strawberry plants. They are harvested from the propagation field around August, after which several of them are packaged in foil and put on sale. They should not be stored for a long time, but should be planted as quickly as possible. Accordingly, August to September is the best time for planting. They bear fruit for the first time the following year.
Frigo plants
The so-called Frigo plants are completely normal strawberry plants that have only been artificially overwintered. The runners of the strawberry plants are only separated from the mother plants in winter. This gives them plenty of time to form the new flowers. The leaves are then removed and the plants are stored at approx. 1.5 ºC until spring, the winter period is practically artificially extended.
When they are planted in spring between April and July, they sprout again immediately and can be harvested about nine weeks later. In contrast, with normal strawberry plants planted in spring, a significantly smaller harvest can be expected.
Tip:
Both frigo plants and potted plants are usually multi-bearing strawberry varieties.
Conclusion
Although the planting time for strawberries varies from variety to variety and depending on the type of planting material, summer is the best time to do so. When planting in spring, you should pay particular attention to ensuring that the plants have already reached a certain size. Planting in autumn is not recommended, in this case the young plants could quickly rot. If you want to harvest fruit over a longer period of time, you can plant different varieties.
