Growing strawberries in Michigan offers the rewarding experience of harvesting sweet, homegrown fruit, but success depends on adapting cultivation practices to the state’s distinct climate and soil conditions. The perennial nature of strawberry plants means that proper planning and maintenance, especially through the cold winter months, are necessary for a productive patch. Understanding the difference between plant types and their required training systems is the first step toward establishing a healthy strawberry bed.
Selecting Varieties and Planting Methods
Michigan gardeners generally choose between two types of strawberries: June-bearing and Everbearing or Day-Neutral varieties. June-bearing plants produce a single, large harvest over a two-to-three-week period, typically in June. This makes them the best choice for gardeners who plan to process or preserve a large quantity of fruit at once. These varieties produce numerous runners (daughter plants) and are well-suited for the Matched-Row system.
Everbearing and Day-Neutral varieties offer a continuous, smaller yield throughout the summer and into the fall, providing a steady supply of fresh berries for immediate consumption. These types produce significantly fewer runners and are better managed using the Hill System, which focuses the plant’s energy on fruit production. The Matched-Row system is common for June-bearing plants, where mother plants are set 18 to 24 inches apart in rows spaced three to four feet apart, allowing runners to fill in an 18-inch-wide row.
The Hill System is the preferred method for Everbearing and Day-Neutral strawberries, requiring the removal of all runners as they appear. Plants in this system are spaced closer together, often 12 to 15 inches apart, to maximize the yield from each individual plant. Choosing the correct system ensures the patch grows optimally and helps prevent overcrowding, which can lead to smaller fruit and increased disease problems.
Timing the Planting and Initial Establishment
The proper time to plant strawberries in Michigan is early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This window usually falls between late March and early May, depending on your region. Planting during this cool period allows the plants to establish a strong root system before summer heat and maximizes their vegetative growth in the first season.
When planting, the crown (the thick part between the roots and the leaves) must be positioned precisely at the soil line. Planting the crown too deeply can cause it to rot, while planting it too shallowly exposes the roots to drying out. After setting the plants according to the required spacing, the soil should be gently firmed around the roots to eliminate air pockets, followed by thorough watering.
For June-bearing varieties, remove all flower clusters that appear during the first year of establishment. This practice directs the plant’s energy into developing a robust root system and producing runners, which is necessary for a significant harvest the following year. Everbearing and Day-Neutral varieties should have their flowers removed until about the end of June, allowing them to set fruit for a smaller, first-year fall harvest.
Summer Maintenance and Pest Prevention
Ongoing summer care involves moisture management, nutrient supply, and pest monitoring. Strawberries require about an inch of water per week, especially during dry spells and when the fruit is developing. Consistent moisture is necessary, but overhead watering should be avoided to minimize the risk of foliar diseases like leaf spot and gray mold.
Fertilization schedules vary by variety. June-bearing plants benefit most from a post-harvest application of a complete fertilizer in July, after the initial harvest and renovation. This timing encourages the development of new crowns and fruit buds for the next season without promoting excessive vegetative growth, which can reduce yields and increase disease susceptibility. Everbearing and Day-Neutral types require lighter, more frequent applications throughout the growing season.
Runner management is a significant task. For the Matched-Row system, thin the patch to ensure plants are spaced four to six inches apart to prevent overcrowding. For the Hill System, all runners must be consistently removed to concentrate the plant’s energy into the mother plant’s fruit production.
Common Michigan pests include the Tarnished Plant Bug, which causes “cat-facing” or sunken, deformed spots on the fruit by injecting toxins into the buds. Non-chemical controls for pests and diseases like leaf spot involve:
- Good sanitation.
- Removing old foliage.
- Ensuring good air circulation through proper spacing.
- Using straw mulch to keep fruit off the soil.
Essential Winter Preparation
Winter preparation is essential for ensuring perennial strawberry survival in Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycles. The goal is to protect the crowns from low temperatures and the physical damage caused by soil heaving. Mulching should be timed carefully, waiting until the plants have gone dormant after several hard frosts, usually when temperatures drop into the mid-20°F range in late November or early December.
Applying the mulch too early can trap warmth and break dormancy, while waiting too late risks cold injury to the crowns. Clean wheat or rye straw is the preferred mulching material because it provides excellent insulation without becoming overly wet and smothering the plants. The straw must be applied loosely to a depth of four to six inches over the entire patch, which will compress over the winter.
This deep layer of straw insulates the crowns and prevents the soil from rapidly freezing and thawing, which can push the plants out of the ground. In the spring, when new growth begins, the majority of the straw should be raked off the crowns and moved into the aisles. A thin layer of straw left around the plants will keep the fruit clean and help suppress weeds.