When to plant Strawberries
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Takes frost; can go out weeks before the last one.
Practical notes
Plant runners in late summer for a full crop the next June, with the crown exactly at soil level — buried crowns rot, raised ones dry out. Straw under the fruit keeps it clean and off wet soil.
Knowing when to pick
Pick when red right up to the shoulders, in the cool of the morning, with the green calyx still attached. Every other day, or grey mould takes them.
Storing the crop
Two days at best — do not wash until you eat them. Open-freeze on a tray for smoothies, or make jam the same day.
Crop rotation
Permanent planting: never replant a rose-family plant straight into its own old site.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: strawberries diseases and pests (5) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.