Strawberry plant: to plant, to grow, to maintain

Description and botany

Genus Fragaria comprises around fifteen species native to temperate zones of Northern Hemisphere except one that probably changed course of strawberry history. Without Chilean strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), this small red fruit would likely have remained a marginal crop. Strawberry history is indeed the result of an astonishing series of chance events. Harvesting of wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) began in Europe in prehistoric times. This species is also present in North and South America, North Africa and temperate Asia, and inhabits woods or hedge bases up to 1,600 m altitude, on rather dry, calcareous-leaning soils. From 14th century, it was cultivated for medicinal use of roots, leaves and fruit, with 12,000 plants planted in Louvre gardens in 1368.

Most of the strawberry plants grown today are hybrids resulting from cross-breeding of two species, Virginia strawberry (Canada) or scarlet strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and Chilean strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis). The former, very flavoursome and hardier than European strawberries, was brought back by Jacques Cartier during his exploration of Canada under François I. It enjoyed great success and was cultivated in France around Brest and in England until late 19th century. The latter, Fragaria chiloensis, also produces fairly large fruit with white or red skin but white flesh. A few plants that survived voyage of Amédée François Frézier, a military engineer sent by Louis XIV to reconnoitre Spanish fortifications and passionate about botany, produced no fruit. They came from Chiloé Island, exposed to harsh conditions (2,000 mm rainfall, strong winds and mean annual temperature of 8.5°C). Normally hermaphrodite, the five plants brought back unfortunately lacked stamens, preventing fruiting. By chance both species were cultivated in same place, at Plougastel-Daoulas (Finistère), producing in 1760 an extraordinary hybrid named Fragaria x ananassa with large fruits whose scent recalls pineapple, ancestor of most modern strawberries. At same time, young Versailles botanist Antoine Nicolas Duchesne deliberately obtained crosses in 1761 between these two species, naming them “Fraisier de Versailles”.

Fragaria vesca – botanical illustration

Strawberries are semi-evergreen perennials, creeping or forming compact tufts, slow-growing. Leaves arranged in a rosette partly die back at end of summer, often spotted by anthracnose and regrow without problem at first signs of warming. Leaves petiolate with a long thick petiole are compound with 3 (sometimes 5) ovate, crenate leaflets, 3–4 cm long, lamina strongly veined and more or less downy depending on species, glossy mid-green.

Flowers, arranged in alternate cymes at end of a long stem usually rising above foliage, are typical of family Rosaceae with five white or pink-tinged petals, rounded at edges, surrounding a yellow centre. Calyx doubled by the calyculus forms a collar with large teeth that persists at base of fruit. Floral receptacle bears a few ranks of stamens that surround numerous free carpels, each topped by a tiny pistil, origin of the small grains covering strawberry surface. Each carpel fertilised by a bee is an achene (carpel with a single ovule giving a dry fruit) which produces a plant hormone making floral receptacle grow fleshy. This aggregation of achenes is called a pseudocarp. Little grains dotted across strawberry correspond to achenes while flesh of fruit derives from receptacle which swells and thickens, taking a round, elongated or triangular shape. Most strawberries are red with shades ranging from orange-red as in Gariguette to deep red in Cherry Berry, but there are white-fruited forms such as Pineapple or some Chilean strawberry forms. As seen in strawberry history, some flowers or plants can be unisexual, requiring a partner to fruit. Note that even on hermaphrodite plants, presence of bees remains essential to ensure regular fruit development.

Strawberry, richer in vitamin C than orange, is among lowest-calorie fruits. 150 g is enough to cover daily needs. It boosts immune defences thanks to provitamin A content, and supports cell renewal thanks to vitamin B9, essential for pregnant women in particular. It also contains significant amounts of magnesium, calcium and iron. It can cause urticaria in sensitive people. Infusions or decoctions of leaves picked in spring and rootstocks harvested in winter from wild strawberry are diuretic and astringent. Famous botanist Carl von Linné treated his painful gout with this plant.

Main strawberry varieties

Our favourite non-perpetual varieties

Our favourite perpetual varieties

Particularly decorative varieties

Strawberry Gariguette - Fragaria ananassa

This early and productive variety, widely grown in France, is first to produce strawberries as early as May! Non-perpetual, it yields a fine crop of elongated orange-red fruits with firm, juicy and very fragrant flesh.

• Height at maturity 25 cm

See the product sheet

Strawberry Ciflorette - Fragaria ananassa

Premium strawberry prized for its very flavourful fruits! This non-perpetual, mid-early strawberry plant yields in May and June a good crop of orange to brick-red strawberries of very regular ovoid shape, fairly glossy, with average weight of 17 g.

• Height at maturity 25 cm

See the product sheet

Strawberry Magnum Marionnet 97 - Fragaria ananassa

Non-perpetual variety producing very large red fruits, 20 to 25 g, very flavoursome, firm and nicely sweet. High yields and low susceptibility to disease.

• Height at maturity 25 cm

See the product sheet

Wild Strawberry Mara des Bois plants (everbearing)

Productive, very perpetual variety producing highly fragrant fruits with wild-strawberry flavour. Enjoy fresh or in a tart to best appreciate its exceptional aroma. Easy to grow, this multiple award-winning variety has become a timeless classic.

• Height at maturity 25 cm

See the product sheet

Strawberry Gento (everbearing) - Fragaria ananassa

Productive variety that yields very large strawberries weighing between 40 and 50 g! Fruits are juicy, sweet and highly aromatic. It is a hardy, perpetual strawberry plant that provides several regular harvests from late May until the frosts in October.

• Flowering time June to October
• Height at maturity 25 cm

See the product sheet

Strawberry Ostara (everbearing) - Fragaria ananassa

Perpetual variety producing from June until first frosts. Medium-sized strawberries, 8 to 10 g, conical in shape, bright red, with tangy, melting and juicy flesh and good flavour. Vigorous young plants, very productive and with good disease resistance, prefer slightly alkaline soils unlike most strawberry varieties.

• Height at maturity 25 cm

See the product sheet

Strawberry Toscana F1 Deep Rose plugs - Fragaria ananassa

Very productive hybrid variety with large dark-pink flowers, producing beautiful conical red fruits that are very flavoursome. This perpetual variety with trailing habit is particularly suited to pot or hanging-basket cultivation.

• Flowering time June to October
• Height at maturity 10 cm

See the product sheet

Climbing strawberry Mount Everest plants - Fragaria ananassa

Perpetual variety producing long stems of 1 to 1.50 m, to train along a support or let trail down a hanging basket, producing large red fruits of very good eating quality. Saves space and makes picking easier.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1,25 m

See the product sheet

Fragaria Pink Panda

This very hardy ornamental strawberry offers a very long flowering period, with sparkling pink corollas with yellow centre. Can be used equally well as groundcover or in a window box.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 30 cm

See the product sheet

Planting strawberries

Where to plant strawberries?

Strawberry is a very hardy perennial (-28°C), tolerant of montane climate like blueberry or raspberry. Hybrid varieties tolerate frosts of between -15 and -20°C. Plant even needs cold to induce flowering so increase in temperature in a greenhouse should not begin before February.

Strawberries prefer a good garden soil, deep, humus-bearing and workable, slightly acidic, which you enrich annually with compost, manure or other organic fertiliser. Choose a fairly sunny spot although strawberry also copes with partial shade. Strawberry plants make good companions for garlic, beans, lettuce, onions, leek, thyme and spinach. However, they do not like company of cabbages and other Brassicaceae. Strawberries remain in place for 3 to 4 years.

Good to know: Depending on variety, one strawberry plant produces between 200 g and 1.5 kg of fruit per year, mainly in June, then in September for perpetual varieties. Varieties such as Gariguette, Charlotte, Ciflorette or Cijosée are particularly suitable for greenhouse cultivation.

When to plant strawberries?

Prefer autumn, or even summer (for professionals), to plant your strawberry plants as harvest will be more abundant next year. Spring planting remains possible however and is even recommended for wild strawberry varieties!

Read on the subject: “Strawberries: 3 reasons to plant in autumn”

How to plant in open ground?

This plant is very easy to grow, especially if you make sure to obtain plants certified free of viruses and other diseases. Varieties resistant to certain diseases are an advantage if your soil is heavy or has hosted strawberries in previous years. Wait at least 3–4 years before replanting strawberries on same plot. Plants are supplied in buckets or as bare roots in summer–autumn.

For full details, see this sheet: “Planting bare-root strawberries”

Steps to plant strawberries :

• A few months before planting, loosen soil and add a generous amount of well-rotted compost. If soil is calcareous, add turf and then plan a mulch made of acidic materials (pine needles or pine bark…). If soil is wet, plant young plants on ridges or raised rows 10 to 20 cm high.
• Remove adventive plants and stones from soil.
• Space young plants 35 cm apart in all directions.
• Dig a hole and place strawberry with collar level with soil surface. Refill hole with fine soil.
• Water copiously and mulch, both to maintain coolness, avoid contamination by splashes and control weeds.

For information, studies carried out by association Terre Vivante have shown that mulching with BRF (ramial chipped wood) or even old potting compost gave best results in terms of yield and weed control, compared with straw and plastic.

In pots : place a layer of gravel or clay pebbles at bottom of pot to improve drainage. Fill pot with a mix of potting compost, garden soil and compost.

→ See also our advice sheets : growing strawberries on a balcony ; How to plant strawberries in a trough? and our tutorial How to make a strawberry tower?

Care, diseases

Strawberry care is simple :

• Keep soil moist with regular watering during flowering and fruiting, especially in hot weather.
• Plant is sensitive to frost as soon as it has started to flower. To ensure abundant harvests, install a tunnel or winter fleece during cool nights.
• Install a filament of protection against birds before fruits ripen.
• In autumn, remove dry or spotted leaves.
• Apply compost to soil surface in spring.
• Remove overly abundant stolons or separate them from mother plant to replant elsewhere.
• Plants should be renewed every 3 or 4 years.

Wait 4 years before replanting strawberry plants in same location.

Les limaces et escargots peuvent s’attaquer aux jeunes plants ainsi qu’aux fraises. Installez de la cendre ou du marc de café ou autres pièges à bière pour les éloigner.

La maladie des taches pourpres qui affecte souvent le feuillage à l’automne nécessite rarement un traitement. Ôtez les feuilles tachées ou flétries avant la reprise de la végétation. Le botrytis est une pourriture grise qui affecte les fraises  si la culture manque d’aération ou sont plantés trop serrés.

Le mildiou du fraisier et l’anthracnose sont deux maladies graves engendrées par des champignons du sol qui se déclarent sur soil humide ou quand le feuillage est mal aéré. Arrachez les plants et évitez de replanter des fraisiers avant un certain nombre d’années (voir fiches dédiées)

→ For more information, see these pages : Which mulch to choose for strawberry plants?, How to grow strawberries and Strawberry diseases and pests and How to fertilise strawberry plants naturally?

Multiplication

Separating stolons in autumn is a very easy way to propagate large-fruited strawberry plants provided it is not affected by diseases (yellowing or leaf curl). Clump division or sowing is carried out on wild strawberry and its cultivars.

Clump division or stolon separation

• As soon as roots appear at base of young rosette of stolon, separate it from mother plant by cutting the stolon (horizontal aerial stem) with a clean, sharp blade.
• Replant rosettes immediately to expand crop or to give to a neighbour.

This operation also helps prevent mother plant from becoming exhausted.

Stolon separation and transplanting of a new young strawberry plant

Sow strawberry plants

These woodland strawberries are offered as seeds because they do not form stolons and retain their characteristics.

When to sow strawberry seeds?

Sowing can start from February through to June provided temperature is above 16°C (optimum 22°C), or in autumn. Growing under a cold frame, in a greenhouse or in a conservatory is therefore essential if starting early. Germination occurs in shade. Depending on sowing date, you may or may not need to keep pricked-out plants under an unheated cold frame.

How to sow?

• Place seeds for a few days in freezer compartment of your fridge then in the vegetable drawer. This process places seeds in natural conditions in which winter cold followed by spring warming stimulates germination.
• Prepare your substrate preferably the day before, with one third ‘seed’ potting compost mixed with one third fine garden soil and one third sand. Moisten mix by misting with water if necessary.
• The next day, fill a tray or an alveolate tray to brim without compacting.
• Sow seeds as thinly as possible, using tweezers if needed.
• Optionally cover with a fine layer of potting compost or vermiculite 1–2 mm thick then press lightly.
• Water with a fine spray and keep substrate moist.

Strawberry plants sometimes take a long time to emerge, up to 35 days, but only 15 days in June.

• When plants have 2–3 leaves, prick out individually into buckets 7–8 cm across, in a substrate of garden soil and potting compost or compost.

Planting out

Once frosts are no longer a risk, usually after the Ice Saints in mid-May, and plants have several leaves:

• Loosen soil to 20 cm depth and enrich with well-rotted compost.
• Rake level then dig holes spaced 35 cm apart,
• Set clumps in without burying the collar, pressing firmly to secure the plant.

A sowing in February allows harvesting strawberries from mid-June to November, whereas an autumn sowing allows harvesting from May.

Harvest and storage

Harvesting strawberries

Pick fruit from young plants as they reach ripeness. Strawberries are delicate; pick them with their peduncle by pinching the stem 1 to 2 cm above it. Fruit texture is a good indicator of ripeness. It should be firm yet give slightly to the touch.

Yields vary from 400 to 700 g/m² for the season for small-fruited strawberries, and average 1.5 kg/m² for large-fruited species, both perpetual and non-perpetual.

→ Read also: How to protect strawberry harvests?

Storage

Strawberries keep for about a week in your fridge’s vegetable drawer, but it is best to consume them quickly as the skin is very sensitive to knocks and pressure…

• Eat raw after a quick rinse under the tap, possibly with a little sugar, whipped cream or as a tart garnish. (Remove peduncles after washing).
• If your harvest is abundant, sugar is an excellent way to transform and preserve fruit as jams, marmalades, compotes or syrups. It is, of course, possible to make ice cream, sorbets or coulis, but these will keep for a shorter time.
• You can also dry them in the oven after slicing into thin strips of at least 1 mm to add to your muesli.
• Finally, strawberries freeze very well. Small freezing trays are now available for small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or redcurrants, etc.

→ Discover our homemade strawberry jam recipe in our step-by-step tutorial!

Uses and companion plants

Young strawberry plants can form borders around a vegetable patch to save space. They can also be grown with garlic, onions and leeks, or with beans, lettuce, spinach or thyme. However, they do not get on well with cabbages and other brassicas.

With their production of stolons, they also make attractive hanging baskets, can adorn sunny green walls, be grown in wooden planters or a pyramid of stacked frames, allowing harvest while standing.

An idea for arranging pots on a terrace: grow strawberry plants near courgettes (non-running), tomatoes, peppers and chillies, salad leaves and herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, chives, oregano…). You can also add flowers: marigolds, carnations, borage, lavender, summer heather, sage…)