Difficulty
once the grow area is prepared and the appropriate varieties selected, garden strawberries require low to moderate effort to manage.
∙ disease resistant varieties
∙ in a moderately wet climate
Bloom
strawberries bloom quite late, which helps them avoid frost damage. This is particularly true for varieties that don't ripen early.

Disease and Pests



Garden strawberries can be susceptible to quite a few diseases, but varieties that are resistant to a number of them are fairly common.  The main exception to this involves the fruit.  Resistance to gray mold and anthracnose fruit rot aren't too common, and when it is observed, it is often weak.  However, growing your strawberries under a plastic structure, such as a low tunnel, can dramatically reduce incidence of disease.  It will also prevent precipitation from watering down the flavor and, if built properly, keep birds away from the fruit.  The main issue then becomes heat management.

With the exception of our warm-blooded friends, pests aren't much of a problem.  Slugs are easy to control, tarnished plant bugs are primarily an issue for varieties that ripen later in the season, and I do not recall hearing complaints about spider mites from other home-growers (outside of the greenhouse), implying they, too, are generally not debilitating.  The spotted winged drosophila will eventually become a problem for day neutral varieties, though.


Bearing Type



Junebearing varieties are recommended for those in the US, due to the level of heat experienced throughout the country, since temperatures around 86F can shutdown the flower production of day neutral varieties.  Junebearing varieties also tend to have a better reputation when it comes to flavor (with the main exception being 'Mara des Bois'), and many of them can produce a higher yield.




Read More

Garden Strawberry: Fragaria x ananassa

Albion

🔍
Diamante x Cal 94.16-1.  Developed in California.  PP16228 filed in 2004.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• day neutral    ◦ weak-moderate
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• large-size, firm
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to phytothphora crown rot.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot, anthracnose crown rot, verticillium wilt, and powdery mildew.

Annapolis

🔍
(Micmac x Raritan) x Earliglow.  Developed in Nova Scotia.  Introduced in 1984.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• early
Growth
• good runner production
Fruit
• medium-large size, moderately firm
• maintains its size fairly well throughout the season
• primary conic, secondary globose to globose-conic
Yield
• moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele.
Somewhat susceptible to verticillium wilt.  Susceptible to leaf spot, leaf scorch, and powdery mildew.

Archer

🔍
NYUS1786 (Lateglow x Jewel) x L'Amour.  Developed in New York.  Introduced in 2016.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• early-mid
Fruit
• large-size, firm (soft in warm conditions), broad conic
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to leaf spot? (unlikely to be worse than somewhat susceptible)

Cabot

🔍
(Elsanta x (Earliglow x Kent)) x (Arking x K79-4).  Developed in Nova Scotia.  PP16971 filed in 2002.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• mid-late
Growth
• low runner production
Fruit
• very large size, moderately firm
Yield
• high
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele.  At least somewhat resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.  Somewhat resistant to powdery mildew. 
Resistant to verticillium wilt?

Cavendish

🔍
Glooscap x Annapolis.  Developed in Nova Scotia.  PP11110 filed in 1995.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• early-mid
Growth
• good runner production
Fruit
• large-size, firm
Yield
• moderate-high
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele, leaf spot, and leaf scorch.  Somewhat resistant to verticillium wilt.
Somewhat susceptible to powdery mildew.

Cavendish ripens unevenly in hot weather.

Chandler

🔍
Douglas x CA 72.361-105.  Developed in California.  PP5262 filed in 1982.
Ripens
🍓
• mid
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• medium-large size, moderately firm, long conic to long flat wedge
Yield
• moderate to high
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to powdery mildew.
Susceptible to leaf spot and red stele.

Chandler is less hardy than most varieties.

Clancy

🔍
MDUS4774 x MDUS5199.  Developed in New York.  PP16571 filed in 2004.
Zone
• 4 (5)
Ripens
🍓
• mid-late
Fruit
• large-size, firm, globose, broad-conic
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to red stele.

Earliglow

🔍
(Fairland x Midland) x (Redglow x Surecrop).  Developed in Maryland.  Released in 1975.
Zone
• 4
Blooms
💮
• early
Ripens
🍓
• early
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• medium-small size, firm
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele.  At least somewhat resistant to leaf scorch.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot, gray mold, and verticillium wilt.
Somewhat susceptible to powdery mildew.

Fairfax

🔍
unknown parentage, but "Royal Sovereign x Howard 17", "Etters 450 x Howard 17" and "Howard Supreme x Etters 450" have been speculated.  Developed in Maryland.  Introduced in 1932.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• early-mid
Fruit
• medium-size size, moderately firm, short blunt conic, mildly subacidic
Afflictions
• Resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.  Somewhat resistant to verticillium wilt (at best).
Susceptible to red stele and strawberry viruses.

Fairfax is an old variety that used to be very popular due to its flavor, but it nearly disappeared due to the arrival of new varieties that weren't as susceptibility to common strawberry diseases.

Flavorfest

🔍
B759 x B786.  Developed in Maryland.  Released in 2012.
Zone
• 4
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🍓
• mid
Growth
• less than moderate runner production
Fruit
• large-size, firm
Yield
• high
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele and anthracnose fruit rot.  At least somewhat resistant to leaf spot, leaf scorch, and verticillium wilt.  Somewhat resistant to gray mold, anthracnose crown rot, and powdery mildew.

Fort Laramie

🔍
Geneva x (Earlidawn x Bemidji Chief).  Developed in Wyoming.  Released in 1973.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• everbearing
Growth
• higher runner production
Fruit
• medium-size, soft in warm conditions, round-conic
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to leaf spot and verticillium wilt?
Somewhat susceptible to powdery mildew.

Galletta

🔍
NCH 87-22 x Earliglow.  Developed in North Carolina.  PP19763 file in 2008.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• early
Growth
• low runner production
Fruit
• large-size, firm, long conic (primary), conic (secondary)
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to leaf spot and red stele.  Somewhat resistant to anthracnose fruit rot.
Susceptible to leaf scorch and powdery mildew?

Honeoye

🔍
Vibrant x Holiday.  Developed in New York.  Released in 1979 (unpatented).
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• early-mid
Growth
• moderate to moderate-high runner production
Fruit
• medium-size to medium-large size, moderately firm
Yield
• high
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.
Somewhat susceptible to powdery mildew.  Susceptible to red stele and verticillium wilt.

High temperatures, heavy soils, and a delayed harvest are blamed for the off flavor that Honeoye can develop.  They can also be too tart for some.

Jewel

🔍
NY 1221 x Holiday.  Developed in New York.  PP5897 filed in 1985.
Zone
• 4    ◦ some winter loss occasionally reported
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🍓
• mid-late
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• large-size, moderately firm, wedged-conic, oblate
Yield
• moderate, moderate-high
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to powdery mildew.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot. 
Contradicting reports on leaf scorch (learning towards resistant).
Susceptible to red stele and verticillium wilt.

Keepsake

🔍
B1031 (B759 x B786) x B1181 (B793 x B755).  Developed in Maryland.  Released in 2018.  Closely related to Flavorfest.
Zone
• 5? (4)
Ripens
🍓
• mid
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• large-size? (somewhat smaller than Flavorfest)
• firm
Yield
• high or moderate-high (lower than Flavorfest)
Storage
• longer than most strawberries
Afflictions
• Resistant to anthracnose fruit rot and at least one of the two crown rots (phytothphora crown rot and anthracnose crown rot).  At least somewhat resistant to leaf spot, leaf scorch, gray mold, and powdery mildew.

Based on one year of experience, Keepsake produced much less than Sparkle in-spite of the latter supposedly being, on average, much less productive, so I do not expect this to frequently occur.  I would still greatly prefer Keepsake if it did, though.  The larger berries always had an excellent flavor at various ripening stages, and it was not diluted by the rain.  The smaller ones, however, were often poor in quality, but even then, the consistency of which Keepsake produced high quality berries greatly excelled over the others I have tried so far (the image is of its last harvest when the berries were on the smaller side).

Kent

🔍
(Redguantlet x Tioga) x Raritan.  Developed in Nova Scotia.  Released in 1981.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• mid
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• medium-size, moderately firm
Yield
• high
Afflictions
• Susceptible to leaf spot, red stele, and verticillium wilt.  At least somewhat susceptible to leaf scorch and powdery mildew.

Malwina

🔍
unnamed seedling x Sophie.  Developed in Germany.  PP23246 filed in 2011.
Zone
• 3
Blooms
💮
• very late    ◦ self-fertile (common for a strawberry)
Ripens
🍓
• very late
Growth
• produces few runners
Fruit
• large-size, firm, conic
Yield
• fairly low
Afflictions
• Resistant to powdery mildew.  At least somewhat resistant to Resistant to red stele and verticillium wilt.  Somewhat resistant to gray mold.
Susceptible to leaf spot, leaf scorch, and phytophthora crown rot.

A small percentage of your Malwina strawberries may sprout leaves due to a genetic defect, and they may ripen late enough to become a target for the spotted wing drosophila.

Mara Des Bois

🔍
(Gento x Osara) x (Red Gauntlet x Korona).  Developed in France.  PP8517 filed in 1991.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• everbearing
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• medium-small size, soft, conic
Afflictions
• Resistant to powdery mildew.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot.
Somewhat susceptible to phytophthora crown rot.

The flavor of Mara Des Bois seems to degrade in the rain to some extent and can be difficult to get it at its peak, but when you do, it is exceptional.

Marshall

🔍
chance seedling.  Discovered in Massachusetts.  Introduced in 1893.
Zone
• 5
Ripens
🍓
• mid (early-mid)
Fruit
• medium-large size, soft
Afflictions
• Resistant to leaf scorch, powdery mildew, and drought.
Susceptible to leaf spot and strawberry viruses.  Somewhat susceptible to verticillium wilt.  Probably susceptible to red stele, but may have resistance to one strain.

The flavor of the Marshall strawberry is highly reliant on the climate and may be of average quality in the east, at least during some years.  Marshall is primarily grown in the west, where it is reported to produce high quality berries.  Fairfax is another old variety with good flavor that is better adapted to the east, but it, too, is quite difficult to find.

Ogallala

🔍
(Rockhill x Cheyenne 3) x (Midland x Cheyenne 2).  Developed in Wyoming and Nebraska.  Introduced in 1958.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• everbearing
Fruit
• medium-size, soft
• Hot weather may cause overripe berries to become bitter.
Yield
• moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to leaf spot and drought.

Ozark Beauty

🔍
Red Rich x Twentieth Century.  Developed in Arkansas.  Introduced in 1955.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• everbearing
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• medium-size or medium-large size
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.
Susceptible to red stele and verticillium wilt.

Purple Wonder

🔍
NYUS299 x NY1674.  Developed in New York.  PP24612 filed in 2012.
Alias
• Walker
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• mid
• compact harvest
Color
• red to dark-red purple
Growth
• low runner production
Fruit
• medium-size, moderately firm, conic
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to powdery mildew.
At least somewhat susceptible to leaf spot and leaf scorch.

Some people do not get the dark red-purple color.  Perhaps they were harvested too early or were partially shaded.

Rutgers Scarlet

🔍
NJ96-12-1 x Camarosa.  Developed in New Jersey.  PP27587 filed in 2014.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• mid-late
Fruit
• large-size, firm, primary berries are more wedged while secondary are often conic.
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to red stele.
Somewhat susceptible to leaf spot.

Sable

🔍
Veestar x Cavendish.  Developed in Nova Scotia.  Introduced in 1998.
Zone
• 3
Blooms
💮
• early
Ripens
🍓
• early
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• medium-size, moderately firm
Yield
• moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele.  At least somewhat resistant to leaf scorch.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot.
Susceptible to powdery mildew.

Seascape

🔍
Selva x Douglas.  Developed in California.  PP7614 filed in 1990.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• day neutral    ◦ moderate-strong
Growth
• low runner production
Fruit
• medium-large size, firm, conic, long conic
Yield
• moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to leaf scorch.
Somewhat susceptible to leaf spot.  At least somewhat susceptible to verticillium wilt and powdery mildew. 
Contradicting reports on red stele (leaning towards susceptible).

Seascape is a decent day neutral strawberry, but Albion is likely better.

Sonata

🔍
Elsanta x Polka.  Developed in the Netherlands.  PP18000 filed in 2005.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• mid
Growth
• dense foliage may lead to a higher cull rate
Fruit
• medium-large size, soft in warm conditions, conic
Yield
• moderate-high
Afflictions
• Resistant to powdery mildew.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.
Susceptible to verticillium wilt and phytophthora crown rot.

Sparkle

🔍
Fairfax x Aberdeen.  Developed in New Jersey.  Released in 1942.
Zone
• 3
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🍓
• mid-late
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• medium-size, soft
Yield
• low to moderate
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele (may only be one strain).  Contradicting reports on powdery mildew (leaning towards resistant).
Somewhat susceptible to leaf spot and leaf scorch.  Susceptible to verticillium wilt.

While some consider Sparkle to be very good, and they occasionally are in my experience, its quality has been way too volatile for too many years for me to recommend.  There are more productive varieties that will probably give you less trouble. 

Sparkle may not grow properly in the humid subtropical climate (Cfa) of the United States.

Surecrop

🔍
Fairland (Aberdeen x Fairfax) x (MDUS683 x Blakemore).  Developed in Maryland.  Introduced in 1956.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• early-mid
• compact harvest
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• tart, medium-size in size, moderately firm, irregular wedge (primary), short conic (secondary), hangs on to its size fairly well during the season
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele, verticillium wilt, powdery mildew, and drought.  At least somewhat resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.

Sweet Ann

🔍
4A28 x 10B131.  Developed in California.  PP22472 filed in 2009.
Ripens
🍓
• day neutral    ◦ weak
Growth
• contradicting reports on runner production
Fruit
• very large size, moderately firm, long conic, occasionally wedged
Yield
• low to moderate in the north, moderate to high in warmer locations.

Sweet Ann is said to have at least some resistance to multiple leaf and root diseases (descriptions are not specific), but like most varieties, it is quite susceptible to fruit rot.

Sweet Charlie

🔍
FL 80-456 x Pajaro (Sequoia x 63.7-101).  Developed in Florida.  PP8729 filed in 1992.
Blooms
💮
• early
Ripens
🍓
• early
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• medium-size, moderately firm
Yield
• moderate-low
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to anthracnose fruit rot, anthracnose crown rot, and powdery mildew.

Sweet Sensation

🔍
Winterstar x (Sweet Charlie x Treasure).  Developed in Florida.  PP25574 filed in 2013.
Alias
• Florida127
Growth
• good runner production
Fruit
• large-size, moderately firm, conic, broad-conic
Storage
• longer than most strawberries
Afflictions
• Resistant to anthracnose fruit rot.  Somewhat resistant to anthracnose crown rot.
Susceptible to powdery mildew.

Tristar

🔍
EB18 x MDUS 4258.  Developed in Maryland.  Released in 1981.
Zone
• 3
Ripens
🍓
• day neutral
Fruit
• tart, medium-small size, firm
Afflictions
• Resistant to red stele and powdery mildew.  At least somewhat resistant to verticillium wilt.  Somewhat resistant to leaf spot and leaf scorch.

Valley Sunset

🔍
K94-15 x K95-24.  Developed in Kentville, Nova Scotia.  Introduced in 2009.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• late
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• large-size, moderately firm, conic or cordate, large ones are commonly wedged
Yield
• moderate-low
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant leaf spot and leaf scorch.
Susceptible to red stele and powdery mildew.

Wendy

🔍
K96-5 (Sable x K91-2) x Evangeline.  Developed in Kentville, Nova Scotia.  PP18340 filed in 2005.
Zone
• 3 (4)
Blooms
💮
• early
Ripens
🍓
• early
Growth
• high runner production
Fruit
• large-size, moderately firm, wedged, conic
Yield
• moderate-low seems to be fairly common, but it has been quite high in a few trials.
Afflictions
• Somewhat resistant to red stele, leaf scorch, and powdery mildew.
Susceptible to leaf spot and verticillium wilt.

Warm conditions may cause Wendy to produce berries that are below average in quality. 

Wendy may not be as hardy as the other varieties that are often listed as zone 3 compatible.

Winona

🔍
Earliglow x MNUS 52 (Lateglow x MDUS 4616).  Developed in Minnesota.  PP10191 filed in 1996.
Zone
• 3
Blooms
💮
• late
Ripens
🍓
• late
Growth
• moderate runner production
Fruit
• large-size, firm, blunt-wedge (primary), blunt-conic (secondary)
Yield
• low to moderate-low
Afflictions
• Resistant to leaf spot, leaf scorch, and red stele.  Somewhat resistant to powdery mildew. 
Somewhat resistant to verticillium wilt?

Yambu

🔍
E1991-023 x Honeoye.  Developed in the Netherlands.  PP28048 filed in 2015.
Zone
• 4
Ripens
🍓
• early-mid
Fruit
• large-size, moderately firm, conic, attractive
Yield
• high
Storage
• longer than most strawberries
Afflictions
• At least somewhat resistant to phytothphora crown rot.  Somewhat resistant to gray mold and powdery mildew.