What Strawberry Varieties You Should Grow in Ohio

Strawberries are versatile fruits that are easy to grow and perfect for the upcoming summer season. Whether you’re a beginner that wants to make the most of your garden or you’re just as crazy about strawberries as we are, strawberries are a fantastic choice to plant in your Ohio garden.

Here are some reasons why you’ll love growing strawberries and what strawberry varieties grow well in Ohio.

Why You Should Grow Strawberries

Strawberries are rewarding plants to grow for several reasons including:

Easy to grow

Strawberries are adaptable plants that can grow in a variety of places such as baskets, garden beds, raised beds, and tiered pots, making strawberries a great option for gardeners with limited space. Also, they’re low-maintenance plants as long as you keep them watered and give them full sun.

Rewarding

What sounds better than fresh berries straight from your backyard? Strawberry plants bring satisfaction in spades as they can produce up to a quart of fruit in their first year, depending on your chosen plant variety. So, if you want a plant with a bountiful harvest, then strawberries are for you.

Helps Local Pollinators

Pollinators love bright, fragrant, flowering plants, which make strawberries a perfect candidate to provide your pollinator friends a sweet spot to land. Here’s a list of more pollinator friendly plants in Ohio if you’d like your garden to bee what all the buzz is about! 

Great taste

Strawberries are nature’s candy! Strawberries are sweeter once they are freshly picked, so it’s best to get them straight off the vine.  Plus, once you taste vine-ripened, homegrown strawberries, you’ll realize that grocery store strawberries simply don’t compare.

Fewer Pesticides

To keep pests off mass-produced strawberries, agriculture companies may load their strawberry plants with pesticides that can be dangerous to your family, including hazardous “forever” chemicals known as PFAs. If you’d like to keep these off your plate, then homegrown strawberries  is likely the best option for you and your family. 

Types of Strawberries for Ohio Gardens

The three varieties of strawberries to grow in Ohio are June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral. Each category has their own subvarieties, so you may want to read the fine print of each variety to see what is best for your garden. Here are the basics of what to know for each strawberry variety.

June-bearing

The June-bearing strawberry is the most commonly chosen variety as it tends to produce the highest and most flavorful output. The downside is that they will only produce strawberries once within their harvest season, with the the highpoint being between late May to late June.

The key for thriving June-bearing strawberries is timely pruning of old leaves, using a nutrient-balanced fertilizer to set the plant up for success for the following growing season, and weeding surrounding areas so the strawberries do not need to compete for nutrients. 

Everbearing

Everbearing strawberries produce about 2-3 harvests throughout the summer. They start producing fruit in late spring and end in early fall in Ohio. This variety is suited for cooler climates, which makes them sturdy for Ohio’s winters and primed for the overwintering process.

Caring for everbearing strawberries is similar to caring for June-bearing strawberries. Five them plenty of direct sun (6-8 hours), water them regularly, and engage in pest management. If you’re not sure how to ward off pests naturally, give us a call at Timbuk Farms or visit our Ohio garden center for guidance.

Day-neutral

Day-neutral strawberries are often confused with everbearing strawberries because both categories produce fruit throughout the growing season. However, day-neutrals differ because they produce smaller yields more frequently than ever-bearing, which have larger, yet less frequent, bursts of growth.

Day-neutral strawberries also differ from June-bearing and everbearing they are not as sensitive to the length of the day. This means that day-neutral strawberries require less light than other varieties. They grow best when planted in shady spaces such as low tunnels. So, if you’re looking for fruit-bearing plants that thrive in the shade, then try day-neutral strawberries.

Visit Timbuk Farms For Strawberry Plants

At Timbuk Farms, we have several varieties of strawberries for you to choose from as well as decades of gardening expertise. We also have thousands of plants that would be perfect for your garden, including tomatoes, peppers, herbs, annuals, perennials, and plants that attract hummingbirds.

Visit us at our Ohio garden center for the healthy plants, gardening supplies, gardening advice, and more. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff knows Ohio gardening, and we want you to have your best, and most fruitful garden yet!