How to Grow Strawberries: When to Plant Strawberries in the US

Updated October 2026

Pick the right type for your climate, plant at the right time for your zone, and net the bed. Runners vs crowns, container tips, and US planting calendars.

Strawberries are one of the best crops for the home gardener. They fruit quickly, grow in small spaces and containers, and taste far better fresh than anything in a supermarket clamshell. A well-tended bed of 25 plants can keep a family in berries for weeks. The two things that decide your harvest are choosing the right type for your climate and planting at the right time for your zone.

What it looks like as it grows

🌱 Plant profile: Strawberry, with sowing times for your region, companion plants and common pests.

When to Plant Strawberries in Your Region

When to plant strawberries depends on your winters. Florida, the Gulf South, the low desert and Texas set out plants in fall and grow them as a winter crop, while the colder regions set out dormant plants in early spring. These are the planting months for each of our 18 regions, with each region's frost window. Each region links to its full vegetable planting calendar, and the Strawberry plant page shows the calendar for any region you pick.

The Mid-South, the Pacific Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southern Plains plant strawberries in March and April. North Florida, Central Florida and the Gulf South plant strawberries in September and October. The Northeast and New England, the Midwest and the Mountain West plant strawberries in April and May. South Florida and the Desert Southwest plant strawberries in October and November.

The three types: June-bearing, everbearing, day-neutral

Before you buy a single plant, decide which type fits your garden. This is the most important strawberry decision in the US, and it is the one most new growers skip.

When to plant by zone and frost

Strawberries are planted as dormant bare-root crowns or as potted plugs. Timing follows your zone and last frost, not the calendar.

UF/IFAS puts the Central Florida planting window at roughly September 25 to October 25. Pick your region in the calendar below, or see the strawberry plant page.

Varieties to choose from

Match the variety to both your climate and the type you want. Cold-winter gardeners lean on hardy June-bearers and day-neutrals; the Deep South and Florida need short-day varieties bred for warm winters.

In Florida and the frost-free South, University of Florida short-day varieties such as Florida Brilliance, Sweet Sensation (Florida127), Strawberry Festival and Florida Beauty are bred for the local winter and outperform northern June-bearers there.

Runners vs crowns

Bare-root crowns are the norm in the US. You buy a bundle of dormant plants, each a woody crown with trimmed roots, in late winter or early spring. Potted plugs are also common and transplant with less shock. Established plants also send out runners, small rooted plantlets you can peg down to expand a bed for free.

Plant so the crown sits right at soil level. Too deep and the crown rots; too shallow and the roots dry out. Soak bare-root crowns for an hour before planting, fan out the roots, and firm the soil. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in rows about 3 feet apart, in full sun and rich, well-drained soil.

Container growing

Strawberries are ideal for pots, hanging baskets, window boxes and strawberry towers, which suits renters and small yards. Use a quality potting mix and a container at least 8 inches deep. Feed every two weeks through the fruiting season and water daily in summer heat, since containers dry out fast. Day-neutral varieties such as Albion and Seascape are the best performers in pots because they fruit steadily without relying on runners.

Bird netting

Birds will find ripe berries before you do. Netting is essential for a real harvest. Drape proper bird netting over a frame or hoops rather than directly on the plants, use a fine mesh to exclude small birds, and secure the edges at ground level so nothing gets underneath.

Common problems

Botrytis (gray mold)

Fuzzy gray mold on the fruit, worst in humid, wet weather. Mulch with straw so berries sit off the soil, improve air flow between plants, avoid overhead watering, and pick ripe fruit promptly. Remove affected berries right away.

Slugs and snails

These pests love strawberries as much as you do, especially in damp beds. Mulch with straw, use iron-based slug pellets that are safe for pets and wildlife, set beer traps, or run copper tape around containers. Hanging baskets sidestep the problem.

Birds and other pests

Net the bed as fruit colors up. In the South and dry-winter regions also watch for spider mites and aphids, plus sap beetles on overripe fruit. Pick clean and often to keep pests from settling in.

Lots of leaf and runners, little fruit

Too much nitrogen, or old crowded plants. Ease off high-nitrogen fertilizer, thin surplus runners so plants put energy into fruit, and replace June-bearing plants every three years as older crowns produce less. For your neighbor's heavy-cropping bed, the secret is usually fresh certified plants and good spacing.

Harvest

Berries are ready about 90 to 110 days after planting, depending on type and climate. Pick every couple of days, fully red, with the cap on, in the cool of the morning. Frequent picking keeps plants producing and beats the birds and rot.

Sources: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Strawberries; UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103); university extension strawberry variety and planting guidance.

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 →

Related guides