How to Grow Strawberries

Strawberries can appear the same, however, they can be grouped into types that fruit at different times including: day-neutral Strawberries, main-crop or summer Strawberries, ever-bearing Strawberries, and alpine or woodland Strawberries.

Day-neutral Strawberries are not influenced by the hours of sunlight in a day and can flower and fruit whenever temperatures are mild. These types of Strawberries don’t produce large berries. Varieties include ‘Albion’ and ‘San Andreas’.

Main-crop or summer Strawberries produce the largest berries over several weeks. Different varieties of main crop-bearing Strawberries are also available that produce fruit at the beginning, middle or end of summer. The productivity of these strawberries tends to decrease after two years. Varieties include 'Joy' and 'Lowanna'.

Ever-bearing Strawberries (confusingly) don’t produce berries all year round and tend to have their peak fruiting period from late spring to mid-autumn. Varieties include 'Ruby Red' and 'Fresca'.

Yates Alpine Strawberry is an interesting European woodland-type strawberry. Also known as a wild strawberry, it’s a low-growing, compact runnerless variety that produces small tasty and fragrant berries. It’s rare to find Alpine Strawberries in the shops as they are very soft and have a short shelf life, so it’s only home growers that get to enjoy this delicious berry. Alpine Strawberries may not be large and showy, however, they are sweet and have a wonderful rich Strawberry aroma and the plants can fruit for many months.

Strawberries can be grown from leafless crowns, runners, small potted plants or seeds. Packaged crowns are available in winter and, because they usually possess a substantial root system, it helps give the plants a head start. Garden centres will usually have small strawberry plants available in pots or punnets during the warmer months. Yates Alpine Strawberry Seed can be sown in spring or autumn, with plants developing fruit 20-28 weeks later.

Choose a spot in your garden that receives full sun (at least 6 hours a day) and has good drainage.

In cold climates, plants may need protection from harsh frosts.

Prior to planting, improve and enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

For potted Strawberry plants, dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root ball. Place the plant in the soil and backfill around the roots with soil. The final level of soil should be at the same level as the original potting mix around the plant.

Strawberry crowns should not be allowed to dry out. To hydrate the roots and promote early root growth, Strawberry crowns can be soaked in a diluted seaweed solution for an hour prior to planting. Dig a hole that’s big enough to accommodate all the roots. Spread out the roots and then backfill around the roots with soil. The final level of soil should be just below where the leaves will emerge from the crown.

When planting Strawberry runners, it’s usually best to allow plants to develop in small pots first, then transplant them to their final home once a root system has developed. To grow Strawberries from runners, place the small plant (on the end of the long stem) on the top of a small pot of potting mix. The base of the small (daughter) plant can be slightly pushed into the potting mix, so it’s just covered. Keep the potting mix moist. If the daughter plant is still attached to the main (mother) plant, once the plant has developed roots of its own, it can be cut from the mother plant.

When growing Yates Alpine Strawberry from seed, sow into trays or small pots of Yates Seed Raising Mix and transplant the seedlings to their final position once they’re large enough to handle.

Keep the soil moist as the plants establish. Applying an organic mulch, such as sugarcane or lucerne, will help keep the soil moist. Mulch will also help keep the berries off the soil as they develop.

Keep the soil moist. Where possible, water at the base of the plants rather than over the leaves. This helps to reduce diseases.

Promote healthy leaf growth and lots of flowers and berries by feeding Strawberries each week with Yates Thrive Strawberry & Berry Fruit Liquid Plant Food or Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser. These fertilisers contain a balanced blend of nutrients, boosted with additional fruit-promoting potassium.

Strawberries can be grown in pots, troughs, window boxes and hanging baskets. There are also special Strawberry pots that have several planting sections down their sides. Whatever pot is used, it should have good drainage holes and be at least 20 cm in diameter (larger containers will be required for multiple plants). Place the container in a position that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day.

Choose a good quality premium potting mix, like Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

For potted Strawberry plants, dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root ball. Place the plant in the potting mix and backfill around the roots. The final level of potting mix should be at the same level as the original potting mix around the plant.

Strawberry crowns should not be allowed to dry out. To hydrate the roots and promote early root growth, Strawberry crowns can be soaked in a diluted seaweed solution for an hour prior to planting. Dig a hole in the potting mix that’s big enough to accommodate all the roots. Spread out the roots and then backfill around the roots with potting mix. The final level of potting mix should be just below where the leaves will emerge from the crown.

When planting Strawberry runners, it’s usually best to allow plants to develop in small pots first, then transplant them to their final larger pot once a root system has developed. To grow Strawberries from runners, place the small plant (on the end of the long stem) on the top of a small pot of potting mix. The base of the small (daughter) plant can be slightly pushed into the potting mix, so it’s just covered. Keep the potting mix moist. If the daughter plant is still attached to the main (mother) plant, once the plant has developed roots of its own, it can be cut from the mother plant.

Keep the potting mix moist as the plants establish. Applying an organic mulch, such as sugarcane or lucerne, will help keep the pot moist. Mulch will also help keep the berries off the potting mix as they develop.

Keep the potting mix consistently moist. Where possible, water at the base of the plants rather than over the leaves. This helps to reduce diseases.
Promote healthy leaf growth and lots of flowers and berries by feeding Strawberries each week with Yates Thrive Strawberry & Berry Fruit Liquid Plant Food or Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser. These fertilisers contain a balanced blend of nutrients, boosted with additional fruit-promoting potassium.

Strawberries can be grown from seed. It will take longer for the plants to produce fruit (compared to buying potted plants, crowns or runners). However, it is a rewarding process and an economical way to grow lots of plants.

To grow Yates Alpine Strawberry from seed, sow seed 3 mm deep into trays or small pots of Yates Seed Raising Mix.

Keep the mix moist and seedlings will emerge in 10 – 15 days.

Transplant the seedlings to their final position, in garden beds or pots, once they’re large enough to handle.

Strawberries need at least 6 hours of sunshine a day. Plants receiving less sun than this may have reduced flowering and fruiting.

Strawberries do best in soil that’s rich in organic matter and well-drained. Strawberries do not like their root systems to be wet. In areas with heavy clay or poorly drained soil, grow Strawberries in raised beds or pots.

Strawberries will perform best when grown in a good quality, premium potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

Strawberries need a fertiliser that contains a blend of nitrogen for healthy leaf growth, phosphorus to promote a strong root system and potassium to promote flowering and fruiting. Yates Thrive Strawberry & Berry Fruit Liquid Plant Food and Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser have been specially designed for fruiting plants like Strawberries, and are rich in flower and fruit-promoting potassium.

Strawberry flowers are self-fertile, containing both male and female flower parts. So, technically only one Strawberry plant is required to produce fruit. However, growing a few different varieties of Strawberries will maximise the pollination of the flowers, and the better the pollination, the better the fruit. Growing a few different varieties will also help to spread out your harvest season.

Pollination requires pollen from the male part of the Strawberry flower to be moved to the female part of the flower. Insects like bees are the best way to pollinate Strawberry flowers. At times when there are not many bees or other pollinating insects around, or during extended periods of windy or overcast weather, pollination can also be done by hand. Using a small soft brush, gently wipe around the inside of a Strawberry flower and then using the same brush do this to another flower. Do this as many times and between as many different flowers as possible throughout the flowering season.

Strawberries do best in sub-tropical, temperate and cold climates in Australia. It can be challenging to grow Strawberries in the tropics (due to plant diseases), however, specially bred varieties of Strawberries may be available in the future that are suited to warm climates.

Autumn is the best time to plant potted Strawberries, however, they can also be planted in spring and summer (if well-watered). Bare-rooted Strawberry crowns are planted in winter.

Potted Strawberry plants that are planted in autumn should start to flower and set fruit in the following spring and summer.

Seed-grown Strawberries (sown in autumn or spring) will take 20 – 28 weeks to start fruiting.

Healthy and well-fed Strawberry plants can become congested over time as they grow and spread. This will result in reduced berries. After the main harvest season, an overgrown Strawberry patch can be refreshed by removing the oldest plants. Then feed regularly with Yates Thrive Strawberry & Berry Fruit Liquid Plant Food to promote fresh new growth.

Strawberries can live for many years, but over time their productivity may decrease. If your Strawberry plants are waning, then planting a new lot of fresh plants is recommended.

You can propagate your own new plants using runners from your existing plants.

Strawberry plants develop long leafless stems (stolons) with a small Strawberry plant on the end. These can be used to grow new plants.

To grow Strawberries from runners, keeping the runner still attached to the main (mother) plant, place the small plant (on the end of the stem) on the top of a small pot of potting mix. The base of the small (daughter) plant can be slightly pushed into the potting mix, so it’s just covered. Keep the potting mix moist.

Once the plant has developed roots of its own, it can be cut from the mother plant and allowed to further establish in the pot.

Unless you want to propagate new plants from the runners, it is best to cut runners off. This allows the plant to focus its energy on flowering and fruiting, rather than developing ‘daughter’ plants.

Yes! Strawberries like to grow in moist soil and applying mulch around the plants helps keep the soil moist. Organic mulches, like sugarcane, pea straw and lucerne are best, as when they break down they add valuable organic matter to the soil. Pine needles can also be used as a mulch.

Mulch also helps to prevent the berries from sitting on the soil surface, which can increase the chance of the berries rotting.

Different Strawberry varieties and varying climate zones will influence the peak harvest season. However, the main picking time in most areas is from late spring to autumn.

Strawberries won’t ripen after they’ve been picked, so it’s important to leave them on the plant until they have reached their maximum sweetness. Choose Strawberries that are completely bright red (including the tip) and cut them from the stem using scissors or secateurs.

After harvesting, place them carefully in a shallow container and put them in the fridge (they should last for a few days). Wash them just prior to eating.

Growing Strawberries in a hydroponic system is not necessary, but does have its many advantages including fewer pests and diseases, and great utilisation of space.

To get started, you'll just need the right setup. Click here for How to Grow Hydroponic Plants at Home.

Causes for poor Strawberry fruit quality include lack of or excess water, not enough sun or fertiliser, and fruiting outside peak season. Picking berries before they’re ripe can also affect sweetness and taste.

Any kind of stress or fluctuations in weather can result in poorly formed and/or small fruits. Plant stressors include heat, cold, overwatering, underwatering, lack of or excessive nutrients, and lack of sun.

The best thing to do is plant them in the right position where they are getting plenty of sun, in good quality soil with excellent drainage, feed regularly with a specialty fertiliser and keep the soil or potting mix moist.

Old and congested Strawberry plants may also start to produce small fruit. In this case, dividing and refreshing the plants can help.

Poor pollination can result in berries being misshapen. To improve pollination, grow a few different varieties of Strawberries. And encourage lots of Bees and other beneficial pollinating insects into your garden by growing a variety of flowers near the Strawberry patch.

To produce fruit, Strawberries need at least 6 hours of sunshine a day, moist soil or potting mix, regular feeding with a Strawberry or fruit fertiliser and bees or other beneficial insects to pollinate the flowers. If any of those factors are missing, fruiting can be affected. Consult the relevant sections on this page to help solve these issues.

Slaters live on the ground, and love moisture and mulch. You could try growing Strawberry plants in pots so that the fruit hangs down away from soil and mulch.
Pull mulch away from seedlings until they have established.

Create seedling collars from plastic drink bottles with the top and bottom cut off.

Turn compost frequently to discourage slaters.

Trap slaters in hollowed-out orange halves or fill cardboard tubes (such as empty toilet rolls) with organic matter like potato peelings. Dispose of any slaters that congregate there overnight - dropping them into a bucket half filled with soapy water will work.

The two main culprits for chewing holes in Strawberry leaves and fruit are Caterpillars, and Snails and Slugs. Birds can also peck holes in the fruit.

For the control of Snails & Slugs in Strawberry beds, sprinkle Yates Snail & Slug Bait around the plants. 

Birds love Strawberries as much as we do! They can peck holes in the fruit or eat entire berries. The best way to protect Strawberries from birds is to cover the plants with a wire cage or bird netting.

Particularly during rainy or humid weather, Strawberries can be prone to Leaf Spot disease, which appears on leaves as reddish to purple spots on with brown centres. To control Leaf Spot, spray plants with Yates Liquid Copper Fungicide.

Particularly during rainy or humid weather, Strawberries can be prone to a disease called Grey Mould. Berries will be covered in fuzzy grey mould before rotting. To control Grey Mould, particularly during periods of wet weather, spray plants with Yates Liquid Copper Fungicide.

Your Strawberry plant probably has a sap-sucking pest on it. These pests pierce stems and leaves, suck out the juice, and then excrete a sticky clear liquid known as "honeydew". The leftover honeydew is then fed upon by a black and powdery fungus known as Sooty Mould.

See How to Get Rid of Sap-Sucking Pests on Strawberries for control options.

Strawberries are susceptible to Aphids, Thrips, Mealy Bug, and Whiteflies; as well as Two-Spotted Mite. For the control of all these pests, spray at the earliest sign with Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray.

If there are only a few Caterpillars here and there, simply remove them by hand and squish underfoot. But when there are too many, spray with Yates Nature's Way Caterpillar Killer - Dipel.

For small infestations of weeds growing near your Strawberry plants, remove them by hand. For larger numbers of weeds spray with Yates Nature's Way Organic Weed Spray. Do not allow the spray to contact the Strawberry plants.