How to Grow Strawberries

Experience the joy of picking sun-ripened strawberries right from your garden. Homegrown strawberries deliver unparalleled taste and sweetness — store-bought ones can’t compare, as their sugars begin converting to starch soon after harvest. Find a sunny spot in your yard and learn how to grow strawberries with this easy guide. And if you’re gardening in the low desert of Arizona, don’t miss the special tips at the end on how to grow strawberries in Arizona’s unique climate.

Article Index:

1. Choose the appropriate type of strawberry for your climate and preference
2. Plant strawberries at the proper time
3. Choose the best location for planting strawberries
4. Plant strawberries correctly
5. Mulch strawberries well
6. Water and fertilize strawberries correctly
7. Grow sweet strawberries
8. Encourage strong strawberry plants
9. Prevent and manage common strawberry pests
10. Harvesting and using strawberries

How to Grow Strawberries in Arizona

10 Tips for How to Grow Strawberries

1. Choose the appropriate type of strawberry for your climate and preference

• June – Sets one large crop of fruit in June (typically). June types set flowers when the day length is less than 10 hours a day. You typically get a large amount of fruit at once. Varieties to try: Chandler, Camerosa, Sequoia, Tioga.
• Everbearing – Sets fruit twice; one harvest early in the season with a smaller harvest in the fall. Less heat-tolerant than June bearing. Everbearing strawberries begin flower production when the day is over 12 hours. Varieties to try: Quinault, White Carolina Pineberry.
• Day-Neutral (a type of Everbearing) – Not affected by day length; bears full-size fruit all season. Remove runners and pick fruit regularly to encourage production. Varieties to try: Tribute, Tristar.

2. Plant strawberries at the proper time

Strawberries are frost-sensitive; they prefer temperatures between 35-85℉ (1.6-29°C). In most areas, strawberries are planted in early spring when the ground is workable.

3. Choose the best location for planting strawberries

Strawberries need rich, well-draining, slightly acidic soil and full sun. Work the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches and remove all weeds. Strawberries grown in poorly-draining soil are more prone to pests and diseases. Amend the planting area with compost and worm castings before planting.

Check your soil’s pH level. Strawberries prefer soil between 5.5 – 6.8 pH. If necessary, apply a soil acidifier to lower the pH. For the least stress on plants, a gradual reduction in pH is preferred.

4. Plant strawberries correctly

Purchase disease-free crowns and transplants from nurseries to avoid diseases common to strawberries. Plant strawberry plants 12″ (30cm) apart, taking care not to bury the crown. 

If planting from crowns, follow these steps: 

• Trim roots to about 4″ (10cm) long, and soak in compost tea. 
• Just before planting, dust roots with kelp meal and bone meal.
• Dig a 6″ (15 cm) hole with a cone of soil in the middle.
• Drape roots over cone, filling in hole with soil.
• DO NOT BURY CROWN. The crown should remain above the soil.
• Water in crowns with compost or worm casting tea.   

5. Mulch strawberries well

Mulch strawberries with a 3-4” (7-10 cm) layer of organic mulch (straw, newspaper, leaves, etc.). Learn more about mulching in this guide. Reasons to mulch strawberries:

• It preserves moisture and prevents strawberries from drying out.
• Keeps leaves and stems off the ground.
• Regulates soil temperatures.
• Keeps weeds down.
• Provides a barrier for soil-borne pests.

6. Water and fertilize strawberries correctly

• Water strawberries to a depth of 12″ (30 cm).
• Let the top of the soil dry out a bit between waterings.
• Keep soil moist while fruiting.  
• Fertilize with a kelp mixture when flower buds appear.
• Apply organic fertilizer monthly (if needed) throughout the growing season. 

7. Grow sweet strawberries

One of the best reasons for growing your strawberries is the taste! Nothing is better than eating a ripe, sweet strawberry from the garden. However, when homegrown strawberries aren’t sweet, it is disappointing. There are a few things you can do to encourage sweet strawberries:

• Check the pH level of your soil. (Ideal soil pH for strawberries is 5.5 – 6-8).
• Give strawberries plenty of sunlight. (Morning sun is best).
• Strawberries need compost-rich soil high in nutrients; fertilize as needed.
• Smaller types of strawberries tend to be sweeter than larger berries.
• Wait to harvest strawberries until they are completely red.
• Harvest berries first thing in the morning.

8. Encourage strong strawberry plants

• Remove flowers for 2-3 weeks after planting to encourage root production.
• Remove runners from plants immediately to keep energy in plants. If desired, pot up runners with potting soil and keep them well-watered while they develop roots.
• After 3-4 years, harvests may diminish. At this time, it’s best to remove old strawberry plants and begin again with new crowns from the nursery in a different location (avoid locations where strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, or potatoes grew previously).

9. Prevent and manage common strawberry pests

We aren’t the only ones who enjoy fresh strawberries in the garden. Here are a few common pests and tips for managing them:

Birds: Use barrier methods. Add cloches and netting. Pick fruit immediately when ripe.

Slugs: Remove slugs by hand at night and set beer or yeast traps. Use strawberry supports to lift strawberries off the ground. 

Pill Bugs: Grow strawberries in containers, grow bags, or a GreenStalk vertical planter (use my discount code GITG10 to save). Straw mulch keeps fruit off of dirt and away from bugs. Use strawberry supports to lift strawberries up off the ground. Read this blog post for other pill bug control methods.

10. Harvesting and using strawberries

Wait to harvest until the berries are fully red. Strawberries do not ripen further once picked. Cut strawberries off the plant, leaving a small stem attached. Lay picked berries in a shallow pan to prevent bruising. 

Pick rotting berries off the plant and discard. Leave caps of berries attached until just before eating. Use harvested strawberries as soon as possible.

How to Grow Strawberries in Arizona:

It can be difficult, but growing strawberries in Arizona is not impossible. If you decide to grow strawberries in the low desert of Arizona, here are a few additional tips to keep in mind: 

• You may need to plant new plants each year. Arizona summers are very hard on strawberry plants, and they often die.
• Strawberries in Arizona need afternoon shade. Plant asparagus and sunflowers nearby as companion plants to shade strawberries during the summer. 
• Water strawberries every day in the summer.
• Mulch strawberries well.
• Strawberries are salt-sensitive, making them difficult to grow in Arizona’s salty soil. Regular deep watering can help wash salts from the soil.
• Strawberries are sensitive to frost, especially during their flowering and fruiting stages. Covering them with frost blankets, straw mulch, or other protective materials can help prevent frost damage and protect the blossoms and developing fruit.
• Plant strawberries in the low desert of Arizona from mid-September through January. Planting strawberries by November 15th allows plants to become more established by spring. 
• Varieties to try in the low desert of Arizona: Eversweet (continuous harvests of large, sweet strawberries throughout spring and fall); Chandler (early to mid-June bearing); Quinault; Sequoia (June-bearing plant, commonly grown in Arizona); Tristar (heavy crop in early spring, slow production in hot summer weather, and large berries in the fall).

Want more information about gardening in Arizona? This blog post shares seven tips for how to grow a vegetable garden in Arizona. 

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