Nothing ushers in summer like fresh picked strawberries and red stained fingers, shirts, faces… so let’s get you growing strawberries too!

A handful of ripe strawberries

To save that fleeting, sweet taste of summer we’ve got tips and tricks and the reasons why growing homegrown or grabbing all the local berries you can is worth it. I promise, your winter self will thank your summer self.

Strawberries are one of our little homestead’s most anticipated foods- by every member of our family. So, we spend some time prepping and loving on the gardens so they produce to their fullest.

Grow Great Berries

Growing strawberries is as close to instant gratification as you can get with a perennial fruit. I recommend planting bare root plants, as you have more option for variety, the cost a fraction of potted plants and the plants do seem to do better in the long run. The catch is you want to plant them in late May, before the heat of summer comes on too strong. You’ll soak the roots for an hour or two before planting.  The first growing season plan to pinch off the first few buds that form, but let the next rounds of flowers mature to pick fruit later in the season.

Strawberry plant in flower
We’ve got our strawberry plants under a spruce tree which keeps the soil a little more acidic.

Choose a sunny spot (6+ hours) with good drainage, as strawberries do not like wet feet. They enjoy slightly acidic soil. Plant 12-24” apart. And as their name ‘STRAWberry’ suggests, they like to be mulched with STRAW. There are different varieties that will do well in zones 3-8 making it a widely adaptable perennial fruit.

Note that once established, strawberry plants spread by runners and will need to be managed to keep from getting overgrown. Cutting and replanting or gifting the ‘daughter’ plants is a great way to spread the strawberry love!

Main Varieties of Strawberries

June Bearing: harvested in June and July here in Minnesota. The biggest producer in the shortest timeframe, best if you want a shorter harvest period, for preserving.

Ever Bearing: produce two main crops; summer and fall. Good for eating fresh.

Why Local Matters

Locally grown berries are sweeter, smaller, more nutritious, and denser than berries that have traveled across the country to sit in the grocery store.

In our growing zone 4, strawberries make an appearance for about 2-4 weeks every year, from mid-June to early July. The window for picking these jewels is short, so make time for it as soon as you hear the buzz. Follow along on my social media accounts for local updates too.

If you can’t grow enough be sure to get to a farm and pick your own (PYO in berry lingo). Our fabulous MN Grown has a directory of PYO farms!

I know this is a post all about Strawberries, but let’s give a shout out to the PYO Blueberry Farms that will be up in mid-July!

close up a single, perfect red strawberry held by fingers and thumb

Both flavor and nutrition start to degrade soon after picking. The vitamin C content and the antioxidant amounts fade quickly. Strawberries are best within 24 hours of being picked, although some people have luck extending the life of their fresh berries by soaking them in one-part cider vinegar to one-part water for a few minutes before drying very thoroughly and refrigerating.

Super Food

Strawberries are one of the top sources of vitamin C, one of the many antioxidants that make strawberries such a healthy food. Antioxidants help prevent diseases, even heart disease!  Did you know that just one cup provides more than the recommended daily allowance. Strawberries are also an excellent source of fiber (3 grams/cup), folate, and potassium, to name a few.

many strawberries on a sheet pan

To get the most flavor and nutrition out of the fresh and local berries, make sure you eat as many as humanly possible (ha) right away and preserve the rest within 24-48 hours of harvesting them.

Preserving the berries is an excellent way to protect their flavor and nutrition. Plus, savoring those summer flavors deep in winter is downright magical!

Fresh strawberries in foreground with jars of frozen berries in jars and strawberry jam in jars

Prior to preserving your berries- check out the University of Minnesota Extension Food Safety program’s mini-module on the basics of making jams and jellies.

I love making freezer jam, and follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s “Uncooked Berry Jam” recipe, or Pamona’s Freezer jam recipe.

Fresh strawberries are especially tasty on fresh local greens for a summer salad, or drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar, or served over vanilla ice cream.  Frozen berries work well for desserts and sauces, or as a topping on your morning oatmeal. Strawberry jam is excellent mixed into plain Greek yogurt.

Really, there’s no wrong way to eat strawberries!

Have I convinced you to try growing strawberries too?

Dig In,
Michelle