The distance strawberry plants are placed from one another is a major factor that determines both the health of the patch and the eventual harvest. Proper spacing gives each plant enough room to access light, water, and soil nutrients without excessive competition. Overlapping foliage restricts air movement and keeps leaves damp, encouraging the spread of fungal diseases like gray mold. Adequate space also allows gardeners better access for essential tasks like weeding, fertilizing, and picking the fruit.
Standard Spacing Guidelines
Spacing guidelines vary primarily by the type of strawberry being planted. June-bearing varieties, which produce a single, large crop in late spring or early summer, require the most space due to their growth habit. A plant-to-plant distance of 18 to 24 inches is recommended for June-bearing plants. This wider initial spacing anticipates their vigorous production of horizontal stems called runners, which will eventually fill the row.
Everbearing and day-neutral varieties produce fruit over a longer season and can be planted more densely because they focus energy on fruit production rather than creating numerous runners. These types are typically spaced between 8 to 12 inches apart. Regardless of the variety, rows need to be spaced 3 to 4 feet apart to provide room for walking, maintenance, and good sun exposure.
Spacing Based on Planting System
General spacing guidelines are adjusted based on the long-term planting system chosen, which is often dictated by the strawberry variety. The two primary methods are the Matted Row system and the Hill System. The Matted Row system is the choice for June-bearing strawberries, as it utilizes the plant’s natural tendency to produce many runners.
Matted Row System
In the Matted Row system, initial plants are set 18 to 24 inches apart, and runners are permitted to grow and root, forming a dense, continuous band of plants. The row should fill in to a width of about 18 to 24 inches, creating a “mat” where new daughter plants are spaced roughly 6 to 12 inches apart. Aisles between these matted rows must be maintained at 3 to 4 feet wide to prevent the mat from spreading into the pathway.
Hill System
The Hill System is used for everbearing and day-neutral varieties because they produce fewer runners and are managed as individual, separated plants. Plants are set closer together, typically 12 to 15 inches apart, often in double or triple staggered rows. A feature of the Hill System is the strict removal of all runners as they appear, forcing the parent plant to put energy into developing multiple crowns and producing fruit. This system requires aisles approximately 1.5 to 2 feet wide for ease of access and to keep the individual plants well-defined.
Maintaining Spacing Through Runner Control
Once established, managing runners becomes the primary task for preserving intended spacing and plant health. Runners are horizontal stems that grow along the soil surface and develop new daughter plants, which quickly lead to an overcrowded patch. Overcrowding forces plants to compete for resources, resulting in smaller berries and a higher risk of disease.
In the Hill System, all runners must be clipped off as soon as they are observed, preventing them from rooting and maintaining the individual plant structure. This practice focuses the plant’s energy on fruit production from the main crown. For the Matted Row system, runner management allows a controlled number of daughter plants to root within the established 18-to-24-inch band. After the first fruiting year, the matted rows should be renovated by narrowing the band back to 10 to 12 inches wide, which involves removing older mother plants and thinning the daughter plants to encourage new growth.