Getting them in early in the spring gives the plants plenty of time to get their root system established before summers heat comes along. This is due to the fact that they do not respond to the day's length in contrast to the one-colour strawberries and reproduce new leaves and, above all, inflorescences with corresponding light and sufficient heat - right into the late autumn. Strawberries prefer a well drained soil, high in organic matter. This means that they sto Strawberry plants won’t last forever, but you should be able to get 3-4 years out of one planting. Pinching runners allows the plant to put all its energy toward fruit production rather than producing new plants.

Strawberries are among the most widely grown fruit in the home garden. Remove blanket in the spring at first sign of blossom and cover nightly when frost is in the weather forecast. I wouldn’t recommend planting any other time of the year. We typically get about 85-95% back year after year. Because June-bearing strawberry plants produce a singular crop of strawberries in spring to early summer, late spring frosts can damage or kill the fruit. Strawberry plants are classified into 3 categories: June bearing, day neutral and everbearing.

As a matter of principle, everbearing strawberry varieties are somewhat less winter-hardy than their other strawberry relatives. While strawberry plants are generally considered hardy in zones 3-10, June-bearing types do better in mild to warmer climates, while everbearing strawberries do better in cooler to mild climates. Everbearing strawberries do not produce many runners-- stems protruding from the crown of the plant that produce a baby plant -- but they will produce some during the summer.Pinch off all runners at the point where they emerge from the plant. The first spring after planting you should remove all the blossoms until mid-summer. Everbearing strawberries are not ideally suited for Canadian winters so some loss may occur if not properly protected. Strawberries should ALWAYS be planted in the early spring (think March).

June bearing variety bears fruit for a 2 – 3 weeks period in June, and the fruit produced is larger than the other two categories. For better yield, care has to be taken with respect to the type of strawberry plant. For everbearing and day-neutral strawberries, remove the flowers until the end of June and then after that date allow the flowers to remain to set fruit for a summer/fall harvest.

Once the growing season slows and strawberries (Fragaria x _ananassa)_are no longer being harvested regularly, start planning for winter. If you follow these steps, which can be labourious, you should get red fruit at the end of May for several weeks. Care of everbearing strawberries. Even with the best winter care, there will be some plants that don’t make it.

How to Care for Strawberry Plants in Winter. When the mother plants start to decline in berry production, you may consider placing the runners/baby plants in the pockets beside the mother plants.

General Care. By: Catherine Duffy 21 July, 2017.