How to Grow Strawberries in Florida
The big secret: in Florida you plant strawberries in fall and pick from winter into spring. Spring planting, the northern habit, fails here.
Florida is one of the country's great winter strawberry regions, but only if you plant on the Florida schedule. Strawberries here are a fall-planted cool-season annual. You set out transplants in October, harvest from December through March, and pull the plants when the summer heat arrives rather than carrying them over.
When to plant in Florida
| Region | Set out transplants | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| North Florida | Oct–early Nov | Dec–Apr |
| Central Florida | Late Sep–Oct | Dec–Mar (peak Feb–Mar) |
| South Florida | Oct–Nov | Dec–Mar |
UF/IFAS puts the Central Florida planting window at roughly September 25 to October 25. See the strawberry page for your region.
Varieties bred for Florida
Use short-day varieties developed for the Florida climate, not northern June-bearers. The University of Florida has bred several of the best:
- 'Florida Brilliance' and 'Sweet Sensation' (Florida127) — modern UF favorites, productive and sweet.
- 'Strawberry Festival' — a long-time Florida workhorse.
- 'Radiance', 'Florida Beauty', 'Camarosa' — also well suited to the state.
Buy certified transplants or plugs; do not try to overwinter last year's plants.
How to grow them
- Beds: full sun, on raised beds with rich, well-drained soil. Many Florida growers use black plastic mulch over the bed, which warms the soil, keeps fruit clean and blocks weeds.
- Don't follow tomatoes: avoid beds that grew tomatoes, peppers or eggplant recently to dodge shared soil diseases.
- Water: consistent moisture, ideally drip irrigation. Keep water off the ripening fruit to limit rot.
- Feed: light, steady feeding through the season.
Pests and problems
Watch for spider mites and aphids in the dry winter air, sap beetles on ripe fruit, and the fruit diseases botrytis (gray mold) and anthracnose in damp spells. Net the bed to keep birds off, and pick ripe fruit promptly so it does not rot or attract pests.
Harvest
Berries begin about 90–110 days after transplanting and peak in February and March. Pick every couple of days, fully red, with the cap on, in the cool of the morning.
Common questions
Can I keep my strawberry plants for next year?
It is rarely worth it in Florida. Plants decline in the summer heat and humidity and carry over disease. Pull them in late spring and start fresh with certified transplants in fall.
Source: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Strawberries; UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103).
When to plant in your region
Pick your region to see exactly when to plant strawberries where you garden.
See also: Strawberries in the plant library →
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