How to Plant Strawberries
Wondering how to plant strawberries for maximum sweetness and yield? After years of growing strawberries, I’ve created an easy to follow step-by-step visual guide for planting. It’s what I wish I had when I first started growing strawberries.
Some basics about strawberries: Strawberries have a short stem called a crown. The crown is where new leaves, runners, flowers, and fruit form.
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All that said, planting the crown at the right depth is super important when planting (visual guide on that below). The wrong planting depth is sure to reduce yields significantly or kill the plant entirely.
Strawberries spread each year via what’s called a “runner” or “daughter plant”. The main plant grows what initially looks like a vine and eventually turns in to a little baby strawberry. This strawberry will root itself in the soil if it is able.
Quick Guide Planting Strawberries
- Plant strawberries in full sun, at least 8 hours per day.
- Step up irrigation before planting
- Remove ALL weeds before planting.
- Ph of the soil should be 5.5-6.8
- Plant strawberries at the correct depth, roots should just barely be covered.
- Plant spacing varies depending on planting method. If you plan on removing all runners space 12 inches apart. Otherwise, space plants 18 inches apart.
The In-Depth Explanation (For Even BETTER Yields)
Even though the quick guide will help get you started, I HIGHLY recommend reading through and looking at the visuals to help you understand how to grow strawberries well.
Preparing the Soil
The first step is to make sure you have prepared the soil for strawberry planting. No matter how perfectly you plant and how well you maintain your plant spacing, if the soil is junk the strawberries will likely be terrible too.
I highly recommend reading my full guide on preparing the soil for strawberries if you haven’t yet. Here’s an overview:
- Choose a location with good soil drainage or make a raised bed to create good drainage.
- Remove ALL weeds and roots
- Add organic matter to the soil
- Take a soil test. The soil ph should be slightly acidic and between 5.5-6.8.
- If growing in containers, formulate a good soil mix
- Set up irrigation prior to planting
Buying Strawberry Plants | What Kind of Transplant Should You Choose?
There are many different types of strawberry transplants: bare root, plugs, or strawberries started in containers with soil medium.
All types will grow good strawberries but they have their pros and cons.
Bare Root
If you order online, typically you’re going to get bare root strawberries. They are grown in soil, then harvested and packed during dormancy and stored at 28 degrees. They have a low cost per plant, lots of variety selection, and are easy to ship.
They are planted in early Spring for a harvest one year later. They typically take a little longer to establish and are particular about irrigation.
Strawberry Plugs
Plugs are much less common for the home gardener to grow. Plugs are created by cutting strawberry runners with two to three expanded leaves and transplanting them into trays to root.
They are more expensive, availability is limited, and varieties are typically adapted to only southern locations. However, they establish easily and quickly, generally carry less disease, and are more productive.
Even though they are more of a commercial grower product, they are far superior than bare root. If you can find some in the Fall, I would highly recommend using this method.
They are typically planted in the Fall for a FULL harvest in the Spring (yes, only 6 months later!)
Nursery Grown Plants
If you find strawberries being grown in a local nursery, oftentimes they will be in pots with soil medium. These could be grown from bare roots, plugs, or even cuttings of a strawberry bed.
They are planted from early to late Spring. Any flowers existing on the plants should be removed to encourage root growth. They will produce a crop a year later.
Depth of Planting
It is extremely important to plant strawberries at the right depth. Planting strawberries too deep can cause rot and cut yields in half or less. On the other hand, planting too shallow is likely to cause strawberry plants to dry out and die, or reduce yields significantly.
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Here is a visual of how a strawberry should look with soil surrounding it.
Another important note is do not bend the roots at planting. They should go into the soil vertically.
Strawberry Plant Spacing
Strawberry plant spacing is dependent on the method of planting you choose to use. There are two main types. One is the matted row system and the other is the hill method of planting.
Matted Row
In the matted row space strawberry plants 18 inches apart. Then over the summer allow the rest of the garden bed to fill with runners.
In traditional farming, the garden bed is limited to 18-24 inches with this method. The spacing between each garden row varies based on equipment used.
In a home garden, this method can be adapted for raised beds up to four feet wide. Use the same spacing of 18 inches between plants and allow the runners to fill the rest of the raised bed over the summer.
Matted row can be a little bit tricky because runner plants can eventually choke each other out. What I mean by this is that strawberry roots with compete for nutrients and plants compete for light.
Additionally, the close proximity of plants can also cause molding of berries, less air circulation, and more slug and pill bug pressure.
Therefore, I recommend thinning some runner plants out if they are especially vigorous.
Hill Planting Strawberries
Another popular method of strawberry planting is hill planting. When using hill planting, plants are spaced one foot between plants. Sometimes they are planted in just one row.
However, it’s becoming more common to see them planted in double rows. It is a more efficient use of space. Each double row strawberry is 1 foot apart and 1 foot apart between rows within each garden bed.
If hill planting strawberries, spacing is maintained and ALL RUNNERS are removed throughout the growing season.
With this method berries are larger and more productive.
Hill planting is commonly used in conjunction with plasticulture. Plasticulture strawberry planting uses plastic as a soil cover to keep the soil warm, suppresses weeds, and prevents runners from rooting.
Conclusion
Strawberries are worth the effort to grow because the best strawberries are grown at home! Proper soil care and planting help to get you off on the right foot when you’re ready to plant and grow strawberries.
More Strawberry Goodness!
- How to prepare soil for strawberry plants
- 5 Tips for growing strawberries organically
- Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe
