Berries & vines · perennial season
Strawberry
Fragaria × ananassa
Ohio’s first fruit of the year. June-bearers (Jewel, Earliglow) for jam; day-neutrals (Seascape, Albion) for a summer trickle.
- When to plant in Ohio
- Plant bare-root in April, or pots in September
- Harvest window
- Late May through June for June-bearers; June–October for day-neutrals
- Days to maturity
- June-bearers fruit heavily in year two
- Spacing
- 12–18 in.; rows 36 in.
- Light
- Full sun
How to grow it
Plant crowns at soil level—not buried, not perched. Pinch blooms the first spring on June-bearers so plants establish. Mulch with straw in late fall. Renovate June-bearing beds after harvest by mowing and narrowing rows. Replace beds every 3–4 years.
Related berries & vines
Blueberry Perennial; light crop year two, full by year four
Raspberry Perennial; harvest year two (or fall of year one on primocane types)
Blackberry Perennial; first real crop year two
Grape Perennial; first crop year three