Growing Strawberries in Florida: From Planting to Harvest

If you live in Florida and want to grow strawberries in your home garden, then stay with us because we got covered.

You can grow healthy strawberries in Florida by choosing the right variety, carefully planting, and providing proper care for the next couple of months. According to Florida’s environment, you can plant your strawberries in late September to early November.

In the below article, we explain every possible detailed about grow strawberries in Florida. So, let’s get to it.

How to Grow Strawberries in Florida:

The process of growing strawberries in Florida is pretty. If it is your first time planting strawberries at all, then we have proper details from planting strawberries in Florida to preparing soil, and harvest. So, let’s jump in.

Choosing Strawberry Varieties for Florida:

The climate of Florida is usually hot with humid summer, and mild, wet winters, so you need a variety that is heat tolerant and do good against humidity. There are three varieties that I would recommend for planting and growing in Florida.

Chandler:

This is one of the sweet strawberries suitable for Florida’s mild winters. Alot of gardener from florida prefer chandler strawberry variety on other types.

Camarosa:

Camarosa is also one of the flavourful strawberries that many Floridan gardeners grow.

Sweet Sensation:

Sweet sensation is one of the new strawberry varieties but can be farmed in Florida because of its heat and disease resistance ability.

You can choose and grow the above mentioned variety or any other variety that suitable to grow in USDA hardlines zone 8 – 11 because that area is mostly cover by Florida.

When to Plant Strawberries in Florida:

Usually, the planting time for strawberries in Florida is the fall season, or some people call it ‘Autumn.’ Fall usually arrives in October and lasts until the end of November. This time is good to plant strawberries because they can start grow their roots and in next few months they will be ready to bear fruits.

Related: Are Strawberries Safe for Dogs.

Weather Condition:

According to the weather conditions, the summer is hot and mostly humid while winter in Florida is mild and wet, and there is less risk of frost damage in winter. But due to environmental changes, the winter sometime get too cold which then has possibility of frost. So you need protection for your strawberries and for that you can use a cover to protect your plants from getting damage.

Soil Preparation for Strawberries:

After selecting varieties, it’s time to prepare the soil. For soil, make sure to have loamy, sandy soil with pH levels between 5.5 to 6.5 because strawberries like acidic soil. Check the pH level before planting and adjust it accordingly. You also add organic matter into soil, like rotten manure for improving nutrients value in improve the overall yield.

For planting, you need to keep enough space between them. Usually, strawberries are planted 14 to 18 inches apart to give them enough space to grow. You also need to prune the strawberry plants, like removing dead leaves and branches, to encourage the plant to focus its energy on fruit production.

Care for Strawberries:

Once planted, the strawberries plants needs proper far according to the climate of Florida. Some of the key caring factors are listed and explained below.

Watering:

Strawberries need consistent watering, especially during the dry spells in Florida. Strawberry needs about 1 to 2 inches per week, and the best time for it is early morning. But make sure to avoid over-watering and underwatering.

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Fertilization:

Use proper fertilizer every few weeks to improve plant growth. But make sure to not over fertilize the strawberries because it can then lead to very excessive leaf growth by the expense of strawberry production.

Mulching:

Mulching is one of the effective ways to suppress weeds while keeping as much moisture as possible.

Pest Control:

Strawberries also attract pests like spider mites and aphids. You can also use any good pesticide or introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs that keep that pest in control.

Harvesting Strawberries in Florida:

You can start harvesting strawberries when they are fully red and firm. During that time some strawberries will not be fully ready so leave them and you can harvest them after couple of weeks.

When to Harvest:

Harvesting strawberries in Florida usually starts in January but continues till March or April. Sometimes, the strawberries start fruiting early, so the harvesting process lasts a long time. And another thing that strawberries do not ripen once picked so be patient with harvesting and let them properly ripen.

Storing:

For storing, you can choose a dry, cool place. You can also dry it, and then it will last up to 1 year.

Challenges Face Growing Strawberries in Florida:

Growing strawberries can cause you a lot of challenges and problems, especially in Florida. Some of them are given below.

Heat Management:

Florida is a dry state, but some parts have a very hot temperature, which can pose a challenge for strawberries. Normally, strawberries like temperature between 65 to 75 F. So if your area has temperature more then that, consider use a cover for plant protection form extreme heat.

Diseases:

The dryness in Florida also causes humidity, which can attract a lot of pests and cause different diseases like anthracnose. So dry to control you watering practice and use necessary pesticide and fungicide.

Soil Borne diseases:

One of the most common soil-borne diseases that strawberries are prone to is root rot, which is caused by poorly drainage soil. SO whenever prepare soil make sure that it has proper drainage.

below is a video explain all the possible challenges of planting strawberries in Florida.

Conclusion:

Growing your strawberries is one of the most rewarding experiences that you can have. You can grow strawberries anywhere. Growing strawberries in Florida is not a hard but challenging process. But you can easily harvest strawberries in Florida if you follow the above process. so start growing strawberries in Florida and if you have any issues or problem then feel free to ask it in the comment section.