Best Time to Plant Strawberries

The best time to plant strawberries is early in the spring. Strawberry plants are surprisingly hardy, and can handle a little bit of snow and the freezing temperatures so classic of spring, as long as they are planted well. The rain showers so typical of spring are an excellent way to give your newly planted strawberries a good start towards their future.

If you’re planting your strawberries in the early spring, you probably won’t need it, but it would not be a bad idea to place a plastic cover over your bed at night to help protect them from the frost.

This is a step I probably wouldn’t take in my own yard (due to sheer laziness) but for all of you diligent gardeners...it’s a good thing! I found that the best time to plant strawberries for me was the early part of May. There were still plenty of spring showers coming my way, but not a lot of freezing temperatures left by that point.

The next best time to plant strawberries is in the late spring, preferably not to much after Memorial Day. Planting strawberries in summer is not preferred, but it can be done as long as very careful attention is given to the strawberry bed, and particularly the watering cycle.

Planting your strawberries in the fall should be avoided. Planting them this late in the year will not give them a sufficient amount of time to establish themselves before having to go dormant for the winter months.

A well-planted strawberry bed should produce for up to 5 years, and as with anything else, preparation and initial steps often determine future successes.

If you’re looking for tips on how to plant strawberries there are very easy ways to add this to your backyard landscaping design. I would recommend utilizing a raised bed such as one that can be purchased from Scenery Solutions (opens new window), or better yet, take a look at the Strawberry Bed (opens new window) available at Gurneys. (When you open the window, search for strawberry bed in their search box to find the item.)

This is the item that I purchased this year and have in my yard. I was surprised that a bed just 6 feet in diameter could hold 50 strawberry plants. It was easy to assemble, and the strawberry plants are doing beautifully so far!

Enjoy your strawberry garden!