Strawberries are popular, but their ability to return year after year depends heavily on the winter conditions of the planting location. Understanding the difference between annuals (one season) and perennials (more than two years) is crucial for cold-climate cultivation. For a plant to be a perennial, its root structure must withstand the winter temperatures and regrow in the spring.
Defining Perennial Status in Zone 5
Strawberries (Fragaria species) are botanically considered herbaceous perennials, meaning they can survive multiple seasons, but their foliage generally dies back to the ground each year. They are well-suited to perennial growth in USDA Hardiness Zone 5, which experiences average minimum winter temperatures between -10°F and -20°F (-23.3°C and -28.9°C). This cold tolerance is possible because the plant’s true survival mechanism, the crown, is located at or just below the soil surface.
The crown is a compressed stem structure that holds the buds for the following season’s leaves and flowers. While the leaves die in the fall, the crown remains dormant, concentrating energy for spring growth. Unprotected crowns can be damaged or killed if temperatures drop below approximately 15°F. Therefore, Zone 5 gardeners must take protective measures against the extreme cold. With adequate care, these plants will re-emerge and continue producing fruit for several years.
Choosing the Best Strawberry Varieties for Cold Climates
Selecting the correct strawberry type is the first step toward ensuring perennial success in Zone 5. Strawberries are categorized into three main types based on fruiting habits, and cold hardiness varies significantly. The most traditional and hardiest for cold climates are June-bearing varieties, which produce one large crop over a two-to-four-week period in late spring or early summer.
June-bearing cultivars like ‘Honeoye,’ ‘Earliglow,’ and ‘Jewel’ are recommended because they are bred for cold tolerance and robust growth in northern regions. These varieties establish strong root systems and enter dormancy reliably, providing the best chance of surviving the deepest cold of a Zone 5 winter. They are the best choice for maximum yield from a perennial patch.
The other main categories are everbearing and day-neutral varieties, which produce fruit over a longer period, sometimes from spring until the first hard frost. These types, such as ‘Ozark Beauty’ (everbearing) and ‘Seascape’ (day-neutral), tend to be less cold-tolerant than June-bearing types. While they can be grown in Zone 5, they require more diligent winter protection because their continuous fruiting habit makes them less vigorous in preparing for deep dormancy. Gardeners often treat these types as short-lived perennials or annuals to ensure consistent production.
Critical Steps for Overwintering Success
Successful overwintering in Zone 5 relies on providing a deep layer of insulation to keep the crown temperature stable and above the damaging threshold. This protective measure is applied only after the plants have gone dormant, typically after the first few hard frosts when foliage has turned brown and temperatures have dropped to the low 20s Fahrenheit. Applying mulch too early can trap moisture and heat, preventing the necessary hardening off process.
The best material is clean, loose straw, applied four to six inches deep over the entire patch. This thick layer acts as a thermal blanket, insulating the crowns from the lowest temperatures and preventing damaging freeze-thaw cycles. Repeated freezing and thawing can cause crown heaving, which pushes the crowns out of the soil and exposes the plant to fatal desiccation and cold.
In the spring, the mulch must be managed carefully to prevent the plants from rotting or struggling. The straw should be partially removed when about 25% of the plants show new green growth, but leave a thin layer between the rows. This remaining mulch helps keep ripening berries clean and suppresses weed growth. Removing the bulk of the mulch too early leaves the new growth vulnerable to late spring frosts, which can destroy the first blossoms.