Growing strawberries in Ohio allows gardeners to harvest intensely flavorful, fresh fruit. Successful cultivation depends on adapting to the state’s specific climate and soil characteristics. The cycle of warm summers and cold, erratic winters requires careful planning to ensure plants thrive. Selecting the correct varieties and implementing region-specific care techniques establishes a productive strawberry patch.
Choosing Strawberry Varieties for Ohio
Strawberry plants are categorized into three types based on their fruiting habits. The most popular choice for a large, concentrated harvest is the June-bearing (or short-day) type. These plants form flower buds in late summer and fall, resulting in a single, abundant crop over a three-week period, typically in late May or June.
Cultivars like ‘Earliglow’ are excellent early-season options known for their flavor and disease resistance. ‘Allstar’ and ‘Jewel’ offer dependable performance and good berry size in mid-season. Alternatively, everbearing and day-neutral types provide a continuous, smaller harvest from late spring until the first heavy frost. Day-neutral varieties, such as ‘Seascape’ or ‘Albion,’ are less influenced by day length and produce as long as temperatures remain moderate.
The chosen type dictates the planting and management system. June-bearing varieties are best suited for the traditional matted row system, which relies on the plant’s tendency to produce numerous runners. Day-neutral and everbearing varieties produce fewer runners and are often grown in the hill system. The hill system focuses energy on the main plant for continuous fruiting.
Site Preparation and Initial Planting
A successful strawberry patch requires a location that receives a minimum of six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. The soil must be well-drained, as strawberries are susceptible to root rot in waterlogged conditions. Raised beds are beneficial in areas with heavy clay. Soil preparation should include incorporating organic matter, like compost or aged manure, to improve fertility and drainage.
Strawberries perform best in a slightly acidic range with a target pH of 5.8 to 6.5. A soil test should be conducted before planting to determine if lime or sulfur amendments are needed to adjust the pH level. Planting should occur in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable, typically between late March and early May.
When setting bare-root plants, correct depth is essential. The crown, the short stem between the roots and leaves, must be set so its midpoint is level with the soil surface. Planting too deep or too shallow will likely kill the plant. June-bearing plants are spaced 12 to 24 inches apart in rows, allowing runners to fill in and form the matted row system. Everbearing and day-neutral types are usually kept in the hill system where all runners are removed.
Seasonal Care and Runner Management
Routine maintenance is necessary throughout the first growing season to establish a strong, productive patch. Consistent watering is required, especially during dry periods and the critical phase of fruit development, aiming for one to one-and-a-half inches of water per week. Mulching with clean straw or pine needles helps retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and keep the berries clean off the soil surface.
For newly planted June-bearing strawberries, remove all flowers that appear during the first year. This practice directs the plant’s energy into establishing a strong root system and producing healthy runners instead of fruit. For day-neutral and everbearing types, remove flowers for the first six weeks after planting to ensure good establishment before allowing a lighter crop later in the season.
Runner management defines the matted row system used for June-bearing varieties. Runners are horizontal stems that emerge from the mother plant and produce new daughter plants. In the matted row, these runners are allowed to root within a controlled row width, typically 18 to 24 inches wide, to maintain healthy plant density. Runners attempting to root outside this defined area should be removed or trained back into the row.
Once the main harvest is complete, the patch requires renovation to maintain vigor and productivity for the following year. Renovation begins immediately after the last berries are picked. This involves mowing the old foliage just above the crowns and narrowing the rows to encourage new growth. Fertilization and irrigation follow to promote the early formation of new runners that will bear the next year’s crop.
Essential Winter Protection
Protecting strawberry crowns from the Ohio winter is necessary. The primary danger is not extreme cold, but the freeze-thaw cycles that cause heaving. Heaving pushes the shallow-rooted plants out of the soil, exposing the vulnerable roots and crowns to cold and desiccating winds, which can kill the plant.
Mulch application must be timed carefully, as applying it too early can smother the plants or prevent proper hardening off. The best time to apply winter mulch is after the plants have gone dormant, usually after the first hard frosts when temperatures consistently drop below 20°F and the soil surface has frozen. This typically occurs in late November or early December in Ohio.
Clean wheat or rye straw is the material of choice because it is light, insulating, and does not mat down heavily. Spread a layer of three to six inches of loose straw evenly over the entire strawberry bed, completely covering the crowns. In the spring, once new growth emerges, gradually rake the straw off the crowns and move it into the aisles. This straw will continue to suppress weeds and keep the developing fruit clean.