Strawberries are a popular and rewarding crop for Missouri home gardeners, offering a taste of summer. Achieving a successful harvest requires specific horticultural practices due to the state’s unique climate, which includes hot summers and fluctuating winter temperatures. Success depends on selecting the right varieties, ensuring optimal soil conditions, and providing year-round care. This guidance addresses the particular needs of strawberries (Fragaria species) to ensure a robust and productive patch.
Variety Selection and Site Preparation
Selecting the correct cultivar is the first step toward a thriving strawberry patch in Missouri. June-bearing varieties are strongly recommended over everbearing or day-neutral types because they are better adapted to handle the intense summer heat and drought periods. Reliable June-bearers for this region include ‘Earliglow’ (early harvest), ‘Redchief’ and ‘Surecrop’ (mid-season), and ‘Allstar’ (late-season, good disease resistance). Everbearing varieties, such as ‘Ozark Beauty,’ often struggle through peak summer heat.
Strawberries thrive in well-drained, fertile soil that is slightly acidic, ideally with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Since many areas of Missouri have heavy clay soil, incorporate significant organic matter, such as compost or aged manure, to improve drainage and aeration. Conduct a soil test the season before planting to allow time to adjust the pH level with lime or elemental sulfur if necessary. The planting site must also receive a minimum of six to eight hours of full sunlight daily for the highest yields.
Planting and Initial Establishment
The ideal time to plant bare-root strawberry crowns in Missouri is early spring, typically late March through April, as soon as the ground is workable. The most common and productive system for June-bearing varieties is the matted row system. This method encourages mother plants to send out runners that root and form a dense, narrow row of daughter plants.
Initial spacing for mother plants should be 18 to 24 inches apart within the row, with rows spaced three to four feet apart. Proper planting depth is crucial: the crown must be set level with the soil surface. If the crown is buried, the plant will rot; if it is too high, the roots will dry out. During the first growing season, remove all flower buds as they appear to direct the plant’s energy into developing a strong root system.
Seasonal Maintenance and Winter Protection
Consistent care is necessary after planting to ensure the patch establishes well and remains productive. Strawberries require about one to one and a half inches of water per week, especially during dry summer periods and the harvest season. Sufficient irrigation in August and September is particularly important, as this is when the plants initiate the flower buds that will produce the following year’s crop.
Fertilization must be timed carefully to avoid producing soft, poor-quality fruit. Apply a general-purpose fertilizer (e.g., 5-10-5 or 10-10-10 blend) immediately after the annual post-harvest renovation, not before or during fruiting. Monitor for common issues like leaf spot diseases and the spotted wing drosophila, which lays eggs in ripening fruit. To prevent disease, avoid overhead watering and do not plant strawberries where tomatoes, potatoes, or peppers previously grew, as these can harbor Verticillium wilt.
Protection from winter freeze-thaw cycles is mandatory for strawberries in Missouri. Apply a protective layer once plants are fully dormant and temperatures drop below 20°F for a few consecutive nights (typically late November or early December). Clean, seed-free straw is the preferred mulching material, applied four to six inches deep over the entire planting area. This layer insulates the crowns, protecting them from cold injury and heaving out of the soil. In early spring, before new growth begins, rake the straw off the plants and move it to the aisles between the rows.
Harvesting and Post-Harvest Renovation
The harvest season for June-bearing varieties typically begins in May and lasts about three to four weeks. Pick berries when they are fully red and possess a bright luster, as they will not ripen further after being detached. Harvest the fruit with the green calyx (cap) and a short piece of stem attached, which helps extend storage life. Pick the patch every two to three days to collect all ripe fruit and prevent the spread of mold or attraction of pests.
Immediately after the final harvest, the bed must undergo its annual renovation process to prepare for the next season. Mow the old foliage off about one inch above the crowns, then rake and remove the debris to manage leaf diseases. Narrow the rows back down to a six- to twelve-inch-wide strip using a tiller or spade, removing older mother plants and leaving newer, vigorous runners. Finally, fertilize and water the bed deeply to encourage new, healthy growth for the next year’s productive matted row.