DibbleWhen are strawberries in season?
In a home garden, strawberry picking peaks in February and March in Florida, starts in March in Louisiana and Alabama, and reaches June and early July in the northern states. June-bearing plants give one main crop over a few weeks. Day-neutral plants fruit again in summer and into fall.
This page is about fruit you grow yourself, in a home garden. It is not a guide to pick-your-own farms or to what is in the stores. Dates shift with the variety, the weather that year and how much winter chill the plant got, so treat them as typical ranges.
When strawberries ripen, by region
| Where | Ripens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | peak February and March, grown as an annual. Peak season only. Grown as annuals; first berries about 90 to 110 days after planting. | UF/IFAS Extension |
| Louisiana | March and April, set out in fall. For plants set out from October to mid-November. | LSU AgCenter |
| Alabama | mid-March to early June, spring-bearing. Statewide table. Spring-bearing types are the ones grown in southeastern home gardens. | Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Auburn University) |
| South Carolina | March to May, depending on region, matted row or annual hill. Starts late March in the Midlands and Coastal Plain, early April in the Piedmont and late April in the mountains. | Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center) |
| Mississippi | April to June, June-bearing. Timing depends on variety and location. | Mississippi State University Extension |
| Virginia | May to June, June-bearing | Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech) |
| Maryland | May and June, June-bearing. The harvest usually lasts about 3 weeks and varies with spring weather. | University of Maryland Extension |
| Kentucky | late May to early July, June-bearing. Harvest most often starts in late May and lasts through June or early July. | University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension |
| Ohio | late May to the end of June, June-bearing. Ripening runs from early to late varieties. | The Ohio State University Extension (CFAES) |
| New York | June to early July, June-bearing. Cornell's table gives June to early July. | Cornell Cooperative Extension |
| New York | June through October, day-neutral. Day-neutral varieties bear from June through October in the Northeast. | Cornell Cooperative Extension |
| Massachusetts | first week of June into early July, June-bearing. Harvest can start as early as the first week of June and runs four to five weeks. | UMass Amherst Extension (CAFE) |
| Massachusetts | early June to the first killing frost, peaking late August to early September, day-neutral | UMass Amherst Extension (CAFE) |
| Minnesota | mid-June to early July, June-bearing. Flowering usually starts in mid-May in southern Minnesota, and picking comes about four weeks later. | University of Minnesota Extension |
| Wisconsin | mid-June to early July, depending on location in the state, June-bearing. One large crop a year after the first year. | University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension |
| California | heaviest production in May and June, short-day and day-neutral. Peak production. Day-neutral plants begin fruiting in fall and keep going while temperatures stay favorable. | UC Statewide IPM Program, University of California ANR |
| Oregon, Willamette Valley | generally June, June-bearing. Eastern Oregon can run as late as July. The season usually lasts about four weeks. | Oregon State University Extension Service |
| Oregon, Willamette Valley | May through early October, day-neutral. Fruiting pauses when it is too cool or too hot. | Oregon State University Extension Service |
| Washington | late May, June or July, depending on season, June-bearing. Seasonal variation moves the dates. | Washington State University Extension |
How long after planting
June-bearing plants usually fruit the year after planting, and you pick off the flowers the first season. Everbearing and day-neutral plants fruit in the year you plant them. The Ohio State University Extension (CFAES)
Why the start date moves
The start moves with region. In North Carolina, picking begins in the latter part of April in the east, in early May in the Piedmont and in late May in the mountains. NC State Extension
How long the season lasts
A June-bearing planting is picked for a few weeks. In Massachusetts the harvest can start in the first week of June and runs four to five weeks. Day-neutral plants keep fruiting after that, from early June to the first killing frost. UMass Amherst Extension (CAFE)
When to plant strawberries, by zone
These are planting windows from the same climate engine the Dibble app uses, run at typical places in each hardiness zone. They say when strawberry plants can go in. They do not say when the fruit ripens: that is the table above.
| Zone | Planting window | Exact dates |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | Not suited to this zone | Zone 3 dates |
| Zone 4 | Apr 22 to Jun 2 and Jul 16 to Sep 8 | Zone 4 dates |
| Zone 5 | Apr 18 to May 26 and Jul 22 to Sep 14 | Zone 5 dates |
| Zone 6 | Apr 10 to May 21 and Jul 29 to Sep 23 | Zone 6 dates |
| Zone 7 | Mar 24 to May 5 and Aug 10 to Oct 4 | Zone 7 dates |
| Zone 8 | Sep 12 to Oct 28 | Zone 8 dates |
| Zone 9 | Sep 19 to Oct 31 | Zone 9 dates |
| Zone 10 | Sep 29 to Nov 6 | Zone 10 dates |
| Zone 11 | Oct 4 to Nov 13 | Zone 11 dates |
How to grow strawberries · Find your growing zone by ZIP code
Common questions
When is strawberry season?
It depends on where you garden. Picking peaks in February and March in Florida and starts in March in Louisiana and Alabama, in May in Virginia and Maryland, and in mid-June in Minnesota and Wisconsin. June-bearing plants finish within a few weeks. Day-neutral types keep fruiting into fall.
Do strawberries fruit the first year?
Everbearing and day-neutral plants do. June-bearing plants usually do not, because gardeners pick off the flowers the first season so the plant builds roots. The first crop comes the year after planting.
How long does strawberry season last?
A June-bearing planting is picked for about three to five weeks, depending on the variety and the spring weather. Day-neutral plants fruit over a much longer stretch, from early summer into fall.
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