Top-Notch Strawberries to Cultivate
Growing your own strawberries at home - even in a small space - can yield a delightful, home-grown harvest! Dive into the world of strawberry plants with several varieties to choose from, each with its unique growing characteristics and timings.
Start with early strawberries, such as 'Christine,' a popular choice for its large, glossy, and flavorful fruits, or 'Gariguette,' known for its deliciously alpine-like fruits. If you're after a big crop, consider 'Korona,' an early fruiting variety boasting exceptionally large, juicy strawberries perfect for sauces and juices.
Mid-season strawberries are another option, with popular varieties like 'Cambridge Favourite,' a classic producer of medium-sized orange-red berries, or 'Royal Sovereign,' famed for its sweet, aromatic flavor. For growers seeking a balance of sweet and acid, choose 'Sonata,' which stands up well to challenging weather conditions.
Late strawberries are great for extending your harvest season. Opt for 'Fenella,' an English-bred variety that stands up well to heavy rain and resists common diseases like verticillium wilt and crown rot, or 'Florence,' a prolific cropper with firm, dark, and sweet fruits.
For year-round strawberry production, consider everbearing strawberries like 'Buddy' and 'Finesse' - heavy cropper and excellent disease-resistant varieties perfect for delicious breakfast bowls.
And if you're after a true flavor explosion, discover alpine strawberries, such as 'Alexandria' and 'Mara des Bois,' which may produce smaller fruits but offer an extraordinary taste experience. These little gems thrive in semi-shade and make ideal ground cover or border edge plants, offering fruit from spring to autumn.
No matter which variety you select, you'll enjoy fresh strawberries from early summer through fall by choosing a mix of early, mid, and late-season types suited to your garden conditions and taste preferences. Everbearing alpine types like Mara des Bois and Flamenco are especially recommended for small spaces or container growing due to their compact size and extended fruiting period. Happy harvesting!
Sources:
- Annable, E. (2021, May 2). Strawberries: 9 top varieties to grow. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/strawberry-top-choices/
- Strawberry Varieties. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.sunset.com/gardening/edibles/fruit/berries/strawberries-strawberry-varieties/
- USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository. (n.d.). Strawberry. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/Strawberry/Strawberry.pdf
- University of Minnesota Extension. (2020, December 21). Strawberry Varieties for Homegardeners. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://extension.umn.edu/fruits/strawberries/strawberry-varieties-for-homegardens
- Westhoff, P. (2019, July 18). Growing strawberries in pots: A guide for home gardeners. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/strawberries/growing-strawberries-in-containers.htm
Incorporating a variety of strawberries into your home-and-garden lifestyle can enhance your home-grown harvest. For instance, the home-grown affordability and delightful taste of alpine strawberries, such as 'Alexandria' and 'Mara des Bois,' make them a perfect addition to your lifestyle, especially for their small size and long growing season in semi-shade, suitable even in small spaces or containers.
Alternatively, if you prefer larger fruits, consider the early-season variety 'Korona,' known for its exceptionally large, juicy strawberries, which can provide a big crop and are perfect for sauces and juices, thus extending your home-grown lifestyle into various recipes.
