June-bearing strawberries are known for producing one large harvest of fruit over a two-to-three-week period in late spring or early summer, which is why they are named June-bearing. These cultivars are the most widely planted type, often chosen for their large fruit size and high overall yield, making them ideal for freezing or preserving. While the plants are biologically capable of flowering and fruiting in the initial season, the best practice is to prevent them from doing so to ensure long-term productivity.
The First-Year Rule: Prioritizing Plant Establishment
The decision to forgo a first-year harvest is rooted in plant physiology and energy allocation. A newly planted strawberry, especially a bare-root variety, must first focus its limited energy on developing a robust root system and a strong crown. The crown is the short, compressed stem of the plant where the leaves, flowers, and runners originate. Allowing the plant to produce fruit in the first year diverts energy away from this essential vegetative growth toward reproduction.
Fruiting is an energetically expensive process that places stress on a young plant. When energy reserves are spent on developing fruit, the resulting root system and crown remain smaller and less vigorous. A poorly established plant will lead to reduced yields and plant lifespan in subsequent years. Encouraging root and crown growth in the initial season lays the foundation for a much larger and healthier crop in the second year and beyond.
Essential First-Year Care and Flower Removal
The primary hands-on task during the first growing season is the removal of all flower buds as soon as they appear, a process often called “pinching.” Gardeners should regularly inspect their plants, especially in the first few weeks after planting, and pinch off the flower trusses. This prevents the plant from expending resources on fruit development and promotes the growth of a larger crown.
Proper management of runners is also important for June-bearing varieties, which naturally produce many horizontal stems. Runners serve as the plant’s method of propagation, producing “daughter” plants that fill in the row to form a matted bed. Allowing a controlled number of runners (two to four per plant) to root is encouraged to build the patch for the next season’s production. Excess runners growing outside the desired row width should be pruned away to prevent overcrowding and reduce the risk of disease.
Consistent watering and weeding are necessary. A light application of a balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 formula, can be made during the establishment phase, taking care not to over-fertilize with nitrogen.
Anticipating the Harvest in Year Two
The reward for the focused establishment work comes in the second season, known as the first fruiting year. With a robust root system and a strong crown, the plants are ready to produce their full potential harvest. The harvest typically begins in late spring, around June, and continues for approximately three weeks, depending on the specific cultivar and local climate conditions.
A healthy, well-managed planting can yield between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds of fruit per acre in this first full production year. After the harvest concludes, the bed requires renovation to maintain productivity. Renovation involves thinning the plants, removing older foliage, and narrowing the rows. This post-harvest process is necessary because strawberry plants have a productive lifespan of about three to five years, and thinning prevents overcrowding, which leads to smaller berries and lower yields.
June-Bearing vs. Day-Neutral Varieties
Understanding the difference between strawberry types is important because the first-year rule does not apply to all of them. June-bearing strawberries are classified as short-day plants, meaning they initiate their flower buds in the late summer and fall in response to shorter daylight hours.
In contrast, day-neutral and everbearing varieties can produce a harvest in their first year. Day-neutral varieties are not strongly influenced by day length and will flower and set fruit continuously throughout the growing season, provided temperatures are suitable. While June-bearing plants must have their flowers removed for the entire first season, day-neutral varieties may be allowed to fruit after about mid-June, providing a small first-year crop. Day-neutral fruit is typically smaller, and the overall yield is lower compared to the single, large crop from June-bearing plants.