How Long Do Strawberries Take To Grow?

Homegrown strawberries are much simpler to care for than you may think. They are a very good fruit for beginners to grow – and who doesn’t love these juicy fruits?

Perfect for the summer, and delicious to snack on, there are so many ways that strawberries can be used, and what is better than creating your strawberry patch of fresh strawberries in the summer!

So, if you are wondering how you can produce your strawberries this summer, then we have all the tips and tricks for you.

The delicious fruits are usually in season during late spring or early summer, so carry on reading if you are wondering how to grow perfectly ripe fruit. 

Strawberry Growing Process

As with most fruits and plants, the time it will take for them to fully grow will depend on a variety of factors. These include the type of strawberry that you choose, alongside the conditions that your strawberry plants will be growing in.

Because it is so dependent on specific conditions, we have curated a list of the growing process of a strawberry plant from start to finish, as well as other tips and tricks for you to have a thriving strawberry patch for years to come.

1. Flowers and Leaves – The first phase of life for delicious strawberries – the plant itself needs to grow large enough to produce flowers. As the weather begins to warm up in the springtime, you will find that the leaves of the strawberry plant will be soaking up the sun, photosynthesizing, so that it can grow bigger. Once the plant has grown large enough, it will begin producing tiny white strawberry flowers.
2. Flowers to Fruit – Did you know that when you are growing an edible plant, fruit and vegetables will always follow after the production of flowers. As we previously mentioned, once the strawberry plant has reached its maximum level of growth, it will begin to produce small flowers. After these flowers have shown themselves, the fruit is soon to follow.
3. Pollination – It is in this third phase, where bees use the flowers to pollinate, that the strawberries will begin to grow. When they first start to appear, they will be very small and green. It is these small berries that will grow into ripe berries. 
4. Color Change – As the month progresses, you will see that the once pale green berries grow into large, red, juicy strawberries. Once they are ripe enough, they can then be harvested – which will usually be in late spring or early June. 

Growing Cycle

So, now that we know the different phases of the growth of a strawberry, we need to establish how long the process takes. Roughly, from start to finish, growing fresh strawberries will take around three months.

It depends on the variety of strawberries that you have chosen, but typically, the crop will take place in the early summer days. This is when you are going to get the best looking and tasting strawberries.

Three months is the length of time that it takes for the strawberry seedling to fruit. 

Varieties of Strawberry

The growing rate of a strawberry plant depends on the variety of strawberry that you choose. For early cropping around early June then ‘Honeoye’ and ‘Allstar’ variations are most popular.

This is the earliest you will find ripe strawberries. This also means, however, that their season will end sooner, just as it began earlier.

Luckily, there are a number of ways that you can extend the growing season of your strawberry patch, including types of strawberries that naturally have a longer growing season, such as the ‘Ozark beauty’ strawberry plant. 

Where To Grow Strawberries

Where should you grow strawberries? In open-ground or a confined space? Is a raised bed or container better for their growth? Although it is possible to grow strawberries in an open space, the plant may grow out of control.

This means that the fruits produced won’t be nearly as good quality, and will also take the nutrients from many of the surrounding plants. The best idea when growing strawberries, is to produce them in a controlled environment.

Plant the strawberry seeds in individual raised beds, or small containers. By doing this, runners will be constricted, meaning that the plant will focus on growing the fruit rather than trying to grow bigger. This is going to give you healthy, juicy fruit all summer long! 

Planting Season

Before planting your strawberry seeds, you should wait until springtime. The warmer months will help to warm and soften the soil, which are beneficial to the plant growth. If you plant your seeds too early.

When it is still cold, the frozen soil may rot and kill your strawberry plant before it has even had a chance to grow. If you want to be harvesting your fruits by the Summer, then it is best to plant your strawberries in early spring.

Soils And Weeding

To prepare the soil for your strawberries, make sure it is full of all the nutrients that a strawberry plant needs to grow big and healthy fruit. The soil that your plant grows in plays a huge part in the quality of the plant and the fruit it produces later in life.

If you are wanting a high yield of strawberries, it is essential that your soil is weed-free. When a soil is also producing weeds, the nutrients will be shared between the weeds and the strawberry plant.

For the best quality strawberries, you want your plant to have all the nutrients, so de-weeding is a must. Essentially, if you have not purposefully placed and planted something, treat the growth like a weed.

Make sure that all of its roots are out too, to prevent it from growing back again and taking precious nutrients away from your strawberry plant. If you are able to identify the weeds you have pulled, it will help to indicate the health of your soil.

Final Thoughts

With these tips, you will be growing bundles of strawberries this very summer! Strawberries are such an easy plant for you to grow and produce the most delicious berries that are some of the most popular on the fruit market!

You don’t need any special equipment or skills to get started with growing strawberries. They are one of the easiest plants to grow, and they only require basic care and attention.

With a little patience and time, you will see how much fun and success you can have creating your very own strawberry patch.