When to Plant Strawberries

Spring planting in the North

Across the Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the cooler West, strawberries go in early in spring. Kansas State gives mid-March to early April for Kansas, University of Maryland says March or early April, and Iowa State says late March and April. The general rule is to plant as soon as the ground can be worked and is not soggy. Check the dates for your zone above.

Early planting matters because strawberries are a cool-season crop with shallow roots. Plants set out in cool, moist spring soil build roots and crowns before summer heat arrives. The later you plant, the less of that cool establishment period a plant gets.

Frost is not the limit. Dormant bare-root crowns tolerate light frost, and Utah State says there is no reason to wait for the last frost date.

Supply drives timing too. Maryland suggests ordering bare-root bundles in January for March delivery. If plants arrive before the soil is ready, keep them moist and refrigerated at 32 to 40°F for up to one to two weeks, Iowa State advises.

Fall planting where winters are mild

From Florida across the Gulf Coast to Texas and coastal California, strawberries are a fall-planted crop grown as annuals. Plants establish in fall, fruit from late winter through spring, and are pulled when summer heat arrives. Each state gives its own window:

• Florida (UF/IFAS): North Florida September 15 to October 15, Central Florida September 25 to October 25, South Florida October 1 to December 1. The first berries come roughly 90 to 110 days after planting.
• Texas (Texas A&M AgriLife): October is the prime month, when daytime temperatures average around the 72 to 75°F strawberries prefer. Cool weather that follows improves flower-bud development. Texas A&M horticulturist Russell Wallace calls spring planting the wrong time in Texas because it gets hot too quickly.
• Georgia (UGA): In middle and south Georgia, set plants September 15 to November 1, with early October usually best. Matted rows planted in spring often die of anthracnose there before they ever fruit.
• California (UC IPM): Mid- to late August is generally best. Short-day (June-bearing) types on the central coast go in August 15 to September 5, or October 15 to November 5 for winter plantings. On the south coast they are planted only in winter, October 10 to November 1, and on the Oxnard Plain October 10 to November 10. San Joaquin Valley plantings go in July 20 to August 5.

Fall plantings in these regions can still face frost. Cover blooming plants with a light blanket or row cover on freezing nights. Texas A&M notes frosted plants usually reflower, but fruit is delayed by two to three weeks.

June-bearing vs. day-neutral timing

The two types respond to the calendar differently, so the same planting date gives different results.

June-bearers form flower buds as days shorten in early fall, then bloom the following spring. In the North, a spring-planted June-bearer is deflowered for its whole first season, sends out runners all summer, sets buds in September and October, and produces its first real crop the next May or June. That means about 14 months from planting to harvest. In warm-winter regions the same biology works in your favor. Plants set out in fall, as with ‘Chandler’ and ‘Camarosa’ in Georgia, are already in place for the short days that trigger buds and fruit the next spring. UC IPM notes August-planted short-day types in California may give a small fall crop, but removing those fall flowers can improve the spring crop.

Day-neutrals flower whenever temperatures stay below about 70°F, regardless of day length. That makes them the right choice for a first-year harvest in the North. Plant in early spring, pinch flowers for the first 4 to 6 weeks, and K-State expects fruit from about August 1 until frost. In California, UC IPM says day-neutrals can be planted in fall, or in February and March. Its recommended south-coast window for them is narrow: October 10 to 25.

If you missed the window

In the North, a late-spring planting can still work if you water it every week through summer; the plants simply get a shorter cool period to establish. In Florida, Texas and the Deep South, spring-bought plants are the problem. Texas A&M suggests keeping them under shade if you have already bought them, but warns air temperatures may still be too high. The better move is to wait for fall and order early, since nurseries can sell out once planting season starts.