Florida’s subtropical environment allows for growing strawberries as a cool-season annual, unlike regions with cold winters. The mild temperatures and short daylight hours of the Florida winter create ideal conditions for flower and fruit development. Success requires understanding this annual cycle and adopting specific preparation and care techniques tailored to the state’s distinct climate.
Selecting the Right Time and Variety
The timing for planting strawberries is highly specific and depends on your location within the state. As strawberries are short-day plants requiring temperatures between 50°F and 80°F, the planting window begins in the fall. Gardeners in North Florida should plant bare-root or plug transplants between mid-September and mid-October. This window shifts to late September through late October for Central Florida, and from October 1st up to the first of December for South Florida.
Selecting the appropriate variety is important for a successful winter harvest, as recommended cultivars are specifically bred for the Florida climate and its disease pressures. Popular varieties include ‘Sweet Charlie’, favored for its early, sweet fruit and resistance to anthracnose, and ‘Camarosa’, known for yielding large, firm berries. For central Florida growers, ‘Florida Radiance’ and ‘Sweet Sensation’ offer high early-season yields with excellent fruit quality.
Preparing the Site and Planting Techniques
Preparing the planting site must address Florida’s characteristic sandy soil and heavy rainfall potential. The first step involves amending the native soil with organic matter, such as compost or well-aged manure, to improve water retention and nutrient holding capacity. Strawberries thrive in slightly acidic soil, ideally maintaining a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5.
Building raised beds is necessary to ensure adequate drainage and prevent root rot during periods of heavy rain. These beds should be mounded approximately 7 to 9 inches high. Black polyethylene sheeting is often incorporated over the beds to control weeds, warm the soil, and keep the developing fruit clean.
Before laying the plastic mulch, apply a pre-plant fertilizer, typically 2 pounds of a balanced formula like 10-5-10 per 10 feet of row. Half of this nitrogen should be slow-release to provide sustained feeding throughout the season. The fertilizer is incorporated into the bed, and a drip irrigation line is installed 2 to 3 inches deep along the center of the mound. Transplants are set through “X”-shaped cuts in the plastic, spaced 12 to 18 inches apart in a staggered, double-row pattern. Ensure the plant’s crown sits precisely at the soil line; this prevents rot if buried or drying out if exposed.
Essential Ongoing Care
Initial care focuses on establishment, particularly for bare-root transplants, which require frequent overhead watering for the first one to two weeks. Once established, water delivery shifts entirely to the buried drip irrigation system. Frequency should be adjusted based on the plant’s size and temperature, ranging from once a week early in the season to two or three times a week as the weather warms.
Strawberries are heavy feeders, and post-planting fertilization is crucial to maintain high yields. Even with a slow-release pre-plant fertilizer, the annual plants benefit from supplemental feeding throughout the winter. While liquid or granular fertilizer can be used every three to four weeks, the most efficient method is liquid “fertigation” through the drip lines.
Florida’s humidity and pest pressures necessitate proactive management. The two-spotted spider mite is the most common pest, often introduced on new transplants. Controls involve regular inspection of the undersides of leaves, and may include horticultural oils or the release of predatory mites. Fungal diseases, such as Botrytis fruit rot, are managed through cultural practices like avoiding overhead watering and ensuring good air circulation. Harvesting typically begins in November and continues until late spring (April or May), with peak production occurring in late winter.