Strawberry Instructions from Burpee
Tasting fresh-picked strawberries you grew yourself is one of the most rewarding experiences for any gardener. Raising your own crop of sweet and juicy fruit is easy in any size space or even in a container. This guide will help you get in on the fun when strawberry season comes each spring. It includes tips on how to choose plants and care for them, the keys to harvesting the fruit at its peak, and how to clean and store your strawberries so you get the maximum enjoyment from your crop.
1. Choose the Perfect Strawberry
Strawberries keep a low profile as they grow close to the ground. The plants spread through runners (known to botanists as stolons) that extend from the original plant's base and establish roots in the surrounding soil.
You can choose from three main types of strawberries: Junebearing, everbearing (or day-neutral) and alpine. The right one for you depends on your growing conditions and what you want to do with the fruit.
Junebearing Strawberries This type produces most of its fruit all at once, typically in—you guessed it—June. Because you get an abundance of fruit at one time, this type is your best choice for making jams and preserves. Junebearing berries may be vulnerable to damage by late-spring cold snaps, so you should select other types if you live where frost is a risk until summer. Individual plants last several seasons and they produce plenty of runners to keep your patch going year after year. Among this type, the top picks include 'Earliglow,' 'Jewel' and 'Sweet Charlie.'
We have:
- AC Wendy, purchased as bare root plants from Burpee in 2026
- Erliglow, purchased as bare root plants from Burpee in 2026
Everbearing Strawberries Everbearing strawberries, such as 'Seascape' and 'Evie-2,' produce a solid crop in June followed by lighter summer and fall crops. This type supplies you with a steady harvest for a long period, so you can enjoy them fresh just about whenever you want. Everbearing plants last several seasons but produce few runners, so be prepared to purchase new ones periodically. Varieties such as 'Mara Des Bois' and 'Ruby Ann' are top picks for growing in containers.
We have:
- Sweet Kiss, purchased as bare root plants from Burpee in 2026
Alpine Strawberries If you’ve ever traveled to Europe during the strawberry season, you’ve likely seen this type in fresh markets there. Alpine varieties produce small, intensely flavorful fruit but no runners. Also referred to as woodland strawberries, these reliable berries tend to fare well in colder temperatures, and they require less direct sunlight than other types. You can try planting a collection of Alpine varieties or opt for a fun pick like 'Alpine Yellow Wonder.'
2. Select a Sunny Site
Whichever type of strawberry you choose, planting them in an ideal location is critical. To maximize their fruit production, strawberries need eight or more hours a day of direct sunlight during the peak of the season. Strawberries fare best in well-draining, loose soil with plenty of organic matter. You can create the right soil conditions by planting in raised beds.
You don’t need a dedicated berry bed to include them in your garden. Strawberries have a low-growing habit that makes them an effective ground cover to edge your flower beds, in rock gardens, and in other areas of your landscape. You also can grow strawberries in large pots designed to hold multiple plan
3. Purchase Plants
You typically have three choices when shopping for strawberries.
Bare root plants arrive dormant and they tend to look brown and spindly. But plant them where they’ll get sunlight and keep the soil moist, and in a week or so, you’ll see new leaves sprouting from them.
Starter plants come with foliage and perhaps a bloom or two. They are ready to begin growing as soon as you plant them.
Seeds are the least costly way to start a large crop of strawberries. If you want to grow from seeds (which are the little specks on the outside of the fruit), you plant them inside in late winter and then transplant the seedlings when the weather warms.
4. Time Carefully
Plant bare-root plants or transplant seedlings as soon as the soil is warm enough to work in the early spring. The plants can handle the frost. You can also plant seedlings in the fall.
5. Plant Correctly
Before planting, mix a well-balanced granular fertilizer (like a 4-4-4 or 3-6-4 fertilizer designed for vegetables) into the soil according to the package's instructions.
Bare-root plants require a bit of TLC before they're ready to go in the ground. First, soak the roots in room-temperature water for about two hours. Trim the roots to approximately 3 inches long, then remove any spent flowers or dead leaves.
When they’re ready to go in the ground, use a trowel to create a hole that allows the roots to spread out. When you place the plants in their holes, set them so the crowns (where the top part meets the roots) are level with the soil line. If they're planted too deep, they may not grow out of the soil. If they're too shallow, they may not be able to absorb the water they need to flourish.
With starter plants, you just set them in the ground at the same height they were in the container they came in.
Each strawberry plant needs about 1 square foot of space to get enough root space and air circulation. (Alpine berries may be planted closer together.) The plants may seem far apart when you put them in the ground, but as they begin to sprout runners your strawberry patch will fill in.
6. Pinch Back
Once your strawberry plants start forming buds, you'll want to pinch off all flower buds for at least the first few weeks. This may be hard to do since you will be delaying when your strawberry season begins. But by removing flowers, you direct the plants’ energy toward developing a robust root system and vigorous top growth first. The payoff for your patience will be a heavier harvest of juicy berries in the future.
With Junebearing strawberries, you pinch back all flowers in the first season. While you won’t have fruit to harvest your first year, the plants will be healthier and more productive the following June.
Pinch back the blossoms on everbearing varieties until early July of the first year, then allow blooms to develop into berries for the remainder of the growing season.
7. Mulch, Weed, and Renew
Strawberry plants do not compete well with weeds. To minimize weed pressure, spread an inch-thick layer of straw or dried grass clippings on the soil around them right after planting. The mulch suppresses weeds, helps keep moisture level consistent, and prevents the fruit from touching the soil, where it can be damaged by insects and fungi. Be sure to remove any weeds that break through the mulch.
For the most productive strawberry season, be sure the plants get an inch of water per week, either from rainfall or your garden hose. When you irrigate, soak the soil around the plants thoroughly and then let it dry out before watering again.
Keep your strawberry patch healthy and fruitful by tending to the runners produced by the plants each season. In the first year, clip off any runners the plants make. The following season, remove all but four runners from each plant. They will form new fruiting plants. In year three, pull any plants that are no longer bearing fruit. For most gardeners, a strawberry bed lasts about five years until they need to start the cycle from scratch.
8. Harvest, Clean, and Store
When you see the fruit beginning to turn red, consider covering the plants with netting that will prevent birds from nibbling on the berries before you can.
Wait to pick the fruit until it is fully red inside and out. Snip or pull the berries off with their green foliage caps. The key to how to clean strawberries is when to do it. Thoroughly rinse the berries only when you’re ready to eat them, use them in a recipe, or preserve them. Water that lingers on the fruit can invite mold and other fungi to form.
If you have more than you can eat at once, you have several choices on how to store strawberries. They will keep in your refrigerator for about five days before they begin to deteriorate. If you want to keep them longer, you can spread them out on a cooking sheet and put them in the freezer for about 24 hours. Then pour the berries into freezer bags for longer storage. When you are ready to eat them, just give them a couple hours to defrost.
You also can store your homegrown strawberries in jam or preserves. For the best flavor, make the jam or preserves as soon after harvest as possible.
9. Renovate Strawberry Beds
"Renovate" is how experienced strawberry growers refer to the process of thinning out the plants when the season ends. It prevents beds from becoming overgrown, which can lead to smaller berries and lighter harvests. Follow these simple steps to keep your strawberry bed performing its best:
Pull weeds continuously during the growing season and remove any that remain after harvest.
Thin the plants and runners to create a 6- to 12-inch space between each row.
Within rows, leave 3- to 4-inch space between plants.
Focus on keeping the strongest-looking runners and remove the others.
Cut back plants to the ground after the first frost in fall.
Fertilize with a well-balanced fertilizer in early spring to kickstart fresh growth.
That’s what you need to know to experience the joy and satisfaction of homegrown strawberry season. Get started on your crop right now by checking out the many varieties available from Burpee.
Additional Care Instructions
Year 1: Establishing the Mother Plants
Remove all runners: Focus on building the strength of the mother plants. By removing the runners, the mother plants can direct all their energy towards root and leaf development, setting the stage for a productive fruit-bearing season in the following year.
Year 2: Fruit Production and Runner Management
Fruit-bearing: The mother plants will bear fruit this year.
Leave 4 runners: Allow four runners to grow from each mother plant. These runners will establish as daughter plants.
Remove runners from daughters: Prevent the new daughter plants from producing runners to ensure they develop strong root systems and prepare to take over as the new mother plants in the following years.
Year 3 and Beyond: Rotation and Renewal
Remove unproductive plants: Identify and remove any unproductive or old plants. The daughters from the previous year now become the new mother plants, continuing the cycle.
Monitor productivity: If the bed becomes unproductive, it's time to start a new bed in a different location. This prevents soil depletion and keeps the strawberry plants healthy and vigorous.