Not all strawberries are equal—and if you’ve struggled with getting a good harvest, it may be that you’re growing the wrong type of strawberry altogether! Here’s what you need to know about the three different types of strawberry plants and how to choose the right one for your climate.
The first couple years after I moved to Central Oregon (which felt like a frozen tundra after 15 years of living in Southern California), I experimented with growing strawberries. I knew there were hardy varieties but I didn’t know exactly which varieties would do best in my new garden, and so… I grew them all.
I had Junebearing, everbearing, and day-neutral strawberries (many dozens of plants attempted over two years) and most of them were lackluster in both size and production. (The ones that still had flowers after our late spring freezes, anyway.)
What I realized after several disappointments was that all strawberries were not equal—and I was often growing the wrong type of strawberry altogether! Here’s what I learned so you can avoid the same mistakes that I made.
Understanding strawberry types
When I say “types,” I don’t mean varieties (I’ll get into those later). I’m talking about the three main types that strawberries are categorized as:
Junebearing (also known as short day)
Everbearing (also known as long day)
Day-neutral
Short-day strawberries initiate flower production when day length is 10 hours or less, and switch to runner production once day length and temperatures increase. Long-day strawberries initiate flowers when day length reaches 12 hours, and day-neutral strawberries are not sensitive at all to day length—they’ll flower over a range of light periods.
Understanding strawberry types
When I say “types,” I don’t mean varieties (I’ll get into those later). I’m talking about the three main types that strawberries are categorized as:
Junebearing (also known as short day)
Everbearing (also known as long day)
Day-neutral
Short-day strawberries initiate flower production when day length is 10 hours or less, and switch to runner production once day length and temperatures increase. Long-day strawberries initiate flowers when day length reaches 12 hours, and day-neutral strawberries are not sensitive at all to day length—they’ll flower over a range of light periods.
While all of these types can generally be grown the same way as far as soil, light, and water are concerned, they have distinct differences in how often they bear fruit. Understanding these differences can help you choose the best varieties (cultivars) for your garden and maximize your fruit production each year.