Growing Strawberries - Zone 10

Strawberries are easy to grow and a great first gardening project with kids since it’s so exciting to watch strawberry flowers turn into delicious berries. Choose varieties well suited for your planting zone. Find your Zone by entering your zip code at the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map here.

Begin with a few plants and in a year or so you will find your strawberry plants have sprouted runners and multiplied! 

Plant strawberry crowns in February, to get strawberries as early as May and as late (or early) as January (depending how you see it).

Strawberries grow best in zones 9 through 11. Your local nursery or garden center is your best bet for finding varieties suited for your zone. Choosing strawberry plants best suited for your tastes and zone is most important! Some strawberry varieties fruit earlier than others, and have longer or shorter fruiting seasons: Everbearing varieties give a little fruit for a longer time while June-bearing strawberries give a lot of fruit at once and are ideal for making jams.

Encourage a plentiful and beautiful strawberry harvest by planting some petunias in your strawberry beds. Odd shaped strawberries are a result of poor pollination. 

Encourage disease resistant and healthy strawberry plants by inteplanting garlic. Garlic has naturally occurring organisms at its roots which keep strawberry plants disease resistant and encourages better growth.

Strawberry jam recipe here.

Slugs and birds are some pests to watch out for. There is nothing worse than watching and waiting for a big strawberry to ripen only to find the birds got to it first! 

Tip: A simple trick to protect your strawberries from birds is to hide the un ripe berries beneath the strawberry plant’s large leaves. That way, the strawberries remain hidden under the leaves once ripe.

Happy planting,

Laura

Tips for Growing Strawberries 🍓 

1. Choose a variety of strawberry suitable for your climate zone (grow best in zones 9-11);
2. Plant strawberry crowns in winter and transplant in spring;
3. Soak crowns for 2-hours before planting;
4. Plant crowns above soil, 12 inches apart;
5. Mulch underneath leaves to keep fruit off the ground;
6. Plant strawberries with basil, beans, cilantro, chives, garlic, petunias, sage, spinach to protect strawberry plants from pests, encourage growth and enhance their flavor;
7. Rotate strawberry beds every 2 to 3 years to prevent pests and disease;
8. If necessary, amend the soil with iron phosphate to deter slugs. Do this once plants are dormant (usually winter).

Beans are great companion plants for strawberries.