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Fruit
Strawberry
A perennial that spreads via runners, meaning one good patch can supply new plants indefinitely.
Get your planting dates
This guide covers how to grow, harvest and keep strawberry, deliberately without sowing dates,
because the right date depends entirely on your climate zone. GardenBuddy's planting calendar
covers all seven Australian climate zones and will tell you exactly when to sow where you live.
Growing
Full sun, rich, well-drained soil. Mulch heavily (straw is the namesake for a reason) to keep fruit off the soil and reduce rot and pest access.
Common problems
- Fruit rot from contact with damp soil, mulch is the main fix
- Birds and slugs competing for ripe fruit, netting helps with birds
- Declining vigour after 2-3 years, replace older plants with rooted runners
Harvest
Pick when fully red, strawberries don't ripen further once picked. Check daily during peak season, fruit turns fast in warm weather.
Preserving this crop
Best suited to:
FreezingCanning & BottlingDrying & Dehydrating
Seed saving
Difficulty: Hard. Most home strawberries are grown from runners (clones), not seed, and named varieties don't come true from seed anyway. Propagate by pegging runners into pots.