Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits grown in the home garden but how long do strawberries take to grow? Don’t worry, strawberries are fairly rapid producers.
Strawberries take longer to come to fruition when planted from seed, but most people plant bare roots, plugs or established plants which hasten the time from planting to berry production.
Growing strawberries can be a fun and productive endeavor no matter the size of your garden. Depending on the type of strawberries you plant, you could be snacking on juicy berries within a month or two!
Strawberry Growth
It takes an entire year of growth to produce berries with strawberries grown from seed. Strawberry seeds contain all the genetic material it takes to produce a strawberry plant. They must go through a cold stratification in the late winter or early spring to jump start the process of germination.
The seeds of a strawberry are readily evident when you eat the fruit. They come from the flowers of the plant. Seeds of strawberries take 1-6 weeks to germinate and then another year before they produce fruit which is why more people don’t propagate this berry from seed but rather from runners.
Another way that strawberry plants are propagated is by growing strawberry runners. Runners or stolons are formed off of existing mother plants. They grow from between 8-18 inches (20-46 cm) in length depending upon the variety of strawberry. They are essentially offshoots, carbon copies, of the mother plants. They can be allowed to root, then be cut from the mother and planted as separate strawberry plants.
Both runners and seed propagated strawberry seedlings are generally established by early fall.
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How Long Do Strawberries Take To Grow?
How long does it take strawberries to grow? It takes 60-90 days for the plant to grow from seed to a berry, the good news is that most people plant strawberry crowns which take a scant month or two to produce delectable berries.
Factors That Affect Growth Time
There is some variation in the length of time it takes to grow strawberries. Obviously the length of time it takes the plant to grow depends on the propagation method. If using seed to propagate, the plant takes longer than if taking runners.
Other factors that affect growth time are the variety of strawberry, weather conditions and planting time. Early spring is the best time to plant strawberries for the earliest harvest.
As for varieties, June-bearing strawberries take an entire year before they produce berries, while day-neutral strawberry cultivars produce within the first year.
Tips For Faster Growth
If you're impatient for your first harvest of strawberries, plant day-neutral or everbearing strawberry cultivars. Plant early in the spring using established plants or crowns and keep an eye on the weather. If the weather is unseasonably cold, delay planting until temperatures warm and all threat of frost has passed in the early spring.
You can also hasten the plants growth by fertilizing strawberry plants and incorporating a good compost into the soil at planting to act as a slow release fertilizer. Use a high potash liquid feed every 2 weeks during the growing season to accelerate growth.
Keep the soil damp, not sodden.
If you have young plants, remove the runners. If the runners are connected to the mother plant, energy is diverted to maintain them, rather than to produce fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will strawberries produce the first year?
Everbearing and day-neutral strawberry varieties will produce fruit in their first year. June-bearing will produce some fruit but it is better to pinch off the flower buds and allow the plant to concentrate all its energy on growing healthy plants and wait for the next round of blooming and fruit production the following year.
How many strawberries do you get from one plant?
The number of strawberries you can expect to harvest for a single plant depends on the variety (and the weather and health of the plant). June-bearing aren’t harvested until their second year of growth, but in that second year, they tend to produce heavily. Day-neutral strawberries can produce even higher yields than June-bearing cultivars however. The average amount a plant can produce is about one quart (946 ml).
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