| Strawberry Type | Pros and Cons | Varieties |
Always the first fruits to ripen. Plants produce many runners; grow as ground cover or as matted row. Mulching is mandatory and picking requires bending.
Early-maturing ‘Earliglow,’ mid-season ‘Jewel’ and late-ripening ‘Sparkle’ are famous for flavor. The medium-sized berries freeze well, too.
Easy to grow in many climates. Hardiest varieties survive winter temperatures to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Grow as winter annuals in warm climates.
Bloom and set fruit all season, especially in fall. Plants produce few runners; grow in containers, on walls or in a specimen bed.
‘Albion’ and ‘Seascape’ keep strawberries coming from midsummer to frost. ‘Evie 2’ is high-yielding and heat-tolerant.
High-yielding varieties bred in California are hardy to about 20 degrees. Often grown as annuals, as winter annuals in warm climates, or as greenhouse crops.
To learn more, see Growing Strawberries.
