Fragaria × ananassa
Strawberry
Common names: Garden strawberry
Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Description
The strawberry is the sweetest reward of early summer and succeeds even in the smallest bed or balcony box. Early cultivars such as ‘Korona’ bear from May, everbearing ones such as ‘Mara des Bois’ into autumn. Through its runners it propagates almost by itself.
Care instructions
Plant it ideally in August (week 33) so it roots strongly before winter and bears heavily the following year. Mulch with straw so the fruits stay clean and dry. After the harvest (July, week 28) cut back the old leaves and remove surplus runners.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, loamy
Feeding
Medium feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
You can plant garlic and chives under strawberries and roses; their scent repels aphids and other pests.
For example OnionDaffodilPearl onionSnowdropornamental garlicAgapanthus lily and one more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed Culture Practice
Rather not
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
Diseases & pests
10 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Otiorhynchus sulcatus
You will find that the black vine beetle is a nocturnal, flightless beetle whose adults carve characteristic crescent‑shaped gouges into leaf edges.
More on black vine beetleOtiorhynchus sulcatus
The vine weevil is the larva of the nocturnal beetle Otiorhynchus sulcatus and causes the actual damage.
More on Vine WeevilPhyllopertha horticola
Grubs are the larvae of the garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) and usually live for one year, or up to two years in cooler locations, in the soil where they eat roots and tubers.
More on Grub beetleBotrytis cinerea
Gray mold is a weak parasite that attacks wherever it is wet and cramped. On ripe strawberries, tomatoes or lettuce heads a typical gray‑fuzzy lawn forms, the fruits rot soft.
More on Gray moldKalium-Mangel
You will notice potassium deficiency first on older, lower leaves: the edges turn yellow, brown and roll upward, while the veins stay green.
More on Potassium deficiencyDrosophila suzukii
The Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a small fruit fly that, unlike native species, pierces healthy, still ripening fruits with its serrated ovipositor to lay eggs.
More on Spotted Wing DrosophilaPhytophthora spp.
Phytophthora root and shoot rot is caused by soil borne fungi of the genus Phytophthora, which become active above all where there is waterlogging.
More on Phytophthora root and shoot rotTetranychus urticae
The two-spotted spider mite appears above all in dry heat in the greenhouse and sucks on the underside of the leaves, which makes the leaves first pale and speckled, then dull bronze coloured, before…
More on Two-spotted spider miteVerticillium dahliae
Verticillium wilt is a soil borne fungal disease that enters through the roots and blocks the plant's vascular tissue.
More on Verticillium wiltArvicola terrestris
The water vole, commonly called a burrowing vole, lives underground and feeds on roots, tubers and the bark at the root collar.
More on Water voleVarieties
10 varieties‚Darselect’
You will find a French variety, *‚Darselect’*, that combines high yield with real flavor, for many one of the best aromatic strawberries for your garden.
‚Elsanta’
The standard strawberry of European commercial cultivation, *‚Elsanta’*, is a grateful entry for your garden.
‚Florence’
This late English variety, *‚Florence’*, extends your strawberry season when the early varieties are already finished.
‚Honeoye’
One of the most reliable early varieties and therefore your first harvest of the season, often as soon as the end of May.
‚Korona’
A convincing garden variety in terms of flavour, which many find more aromatic than the market-standard *‚Elsanta’*.
‚Malwina’
The latest of the common garden varieties and therefore your crowning finish to the season, often only from the end of June and the beginning of July.
‚Mieze Schindler’
The queen of aroma among the old strawberries, held by many enthusiasts to be the best tasting variety of all.
‚Ostara’
An everbearing variety that supplies you with fresh strawberries in several flushes from June until the frost.
‚Senga Sengana’
The classic preserving strawberry of the post-war years and to this day the benchmark for bottling and freezing.
‚Sonata’
A Dutch new breed from a cross of *‚Elsanta’* and *‚Polka’* that combines the best of both parents: the high yield and…
Notes from real gardens
What other gardeners have written down about this variety, anonymous and voluntary.
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From the magazine
Perpetual and wild strawberries from seed: growing aroma bombs cheaply
Perpetual and wild strawberries are small aroma bombs and cheap to grow from seed. How the sowing of the cold and light germinators and their use in the garden succeed.
Strawberries with system: varieties, planting time and runners
With a little system strawberries bear richly over years. Three decisions count: June-bearing or everbearing, planting in August and the clever handling of the runners. Plus the straw trick against grey mould.
Berries in pots and on the balcony: almost any berry in a container
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries: almost any berry thrives in a pot. How to choose substrate and pot size, water lime-free and protect the roots in winter.
June: The First Big Harvest and the Beds in Full Swing
June brings the first big harvest: strawberries, peas and kohlrabi fill the basket. At the same time, sowing for autumn carries on, and the first pests need keeping in check. Your plan for early summer.
The honeyberry: the first berry of the year, tough and undemanding
The honeyberry ripens as early as May, long before the strawberry. It's extremely hardy, easy about soil and barely troubled by pests. There's just one rule to know: without a second variety, the basket stays empty.
