Strawberries grown in home gardens fall into three types based on how they flower and fruit. These differences affect harvest timing, yield, and maintenance. Choosing the right type depends on your gardening goals and available space.
June-Bearing | Everbearing | Day-Neutral | Which Should I Choose? | More Information
June-Bearing Strawberries
What Makes Them Unique
June-bearing strawberries are the most widely grown type. They form flower buds in late summer and fall and produce one large crop the following late spring or early summer.
Choose June-bearing strawberries if you want a large harvest for freezing, jam, or sharing. Avoid them if you prefer a steady supply of fresh berries throughout the season, since production is limited to a short period.
Harvest Expectations
Plants produce a single, concentrated harvest over two to three weeks, often in June in the Midwest. This crop is typically the largest and highest yielding of the three types.
Maintenance Considerations
June-bearers produce many runners and are usually grown in a matted row system. They require renovation after harvest to maintain vigor and productivity.
Recommended Cultivars
Excellent June-bearing strawberry varieties for the Midwest include:
- ‘Allstar’
- ‘Earliglow’
- ‘Honeoye’
- ‘Jewel’
- ‘Lateglow’
- ‘Surecrop’
- 'Kent'
Everbearing Strawberries
What Makes Them Unique
Everbearing strawberries produce two main crops, one in late spring and another in late summer to early fall, with little fruiting in between.
Choose everbearing strawberries if you want a longer harvest season with moderate yields. Avoid them if you need large quantities of fruit at one time or want the simplest management system.
Harvest Expectations
Yields are smaller than June-bearers but spread across two harvest periods, providing a longer picking window.
Maintenance Considerations
Everbearers produce fewer runners and more crowns. They are often maintained as individual plants rather than matted rows, and runners are typically removed to encourage fruiting.
Recommended Cultivars
Everbearing strawberry varieties that perform well in the Midwest include:
- 'Ft. Laramie’
- ‘Ogallala’
- ‘Ozark Beauty’
Day-Neutral Strawberries
What Makes Them Unique
Day-neutral strawberries are not strongly affected by day length and can flower and fruit continuously when temperatures are moderate.
Choose day-neutral strawberries if you want fresh berries throughout the season or are growing in small spaces or containers. Avoid them if you prefer lower maintenance or a single large harvest, as they require more frequent care.
Harvest Expectations
They produce fruit from early summer until frost, offering a steady supply rather than distinct harvest periods.
Maintenance Considerations
Day-neutral plants are often grown as annuals in the Midwest. They require more intensive care, including frequent watering, fertilization, and removal of runners to maintain productivity.
Recommended Cultivars
The best day-neutral strawberry varieties for the Midwest include:
- ‘Tribute’
- ‘Tristar’
- ‘Seascape’
Choosing the Right Type
The main difference among strawberry types is when and how much fruit they produce. June-bearing types provide a large, short harvest. Everbearing types extend the season with two smaller crops. Day-neutral strawberries offer the longest harvest but require the most attention.
For most beginners, June-bearing strawberries are the best choice. They are easier to manage because they tolerate a range of conditions, spread readily by runners, and produce a large, predictable crop all at once, which helps new gardeners see clear success. While they require some annual renovation, their growth habit and strong yields make them more forgiving than everbearing or day-neutral types, which need more careful watering, fertilizing, and runner control throughout the season.
If you can't decide, planting a mix of types can provide both abundant early harvests and fresh berries later in the season.
More Information
- How to Grow Strawberries in Containers
- How to Overwinter Strawberries
- Renovation of June Bearing Strawberries
Photo credits: Cindy Haynes