How to Care for Strawberries

Written & researched by Elena Marsh Gardening & Landscaping Editor

Updated April 2026

The short answer: caring for strawberries comes down to 1 to 2 inches of water a week at the base, balanced feeding at the right times, controlling runners, mulching to keep fruit clean, and protecting crowns over winter in cold zones. Their roots are shallow, so consistent moisture and rich, well-drained soil matter most. Feed lightly in spring and after harvest but never heavily right before fruiting. Renovate June-bearing beds after picking, and replace plants every three to four years as production declines.

Strawberries are perennials that reward a bit of seasonal attention with years of fruit. This guide follows extension-service care data and the results growers consistently report, described in how we rank. For maintenance cuts see how to prune strawberries, and for feeding specifics, the best fertilizer for strawberries.

Know your strawberry type first

Care differs by type, so identify which you have:

June-bearers give the biggest single harvest and are renovated after fruiting; everbearing and day-neutral types fruit on the mother crown and want most runners removed so they keep producing.

Planting Strawberries at the Right Crown Depth

Good care starts with correct planting, and the single most common way new growers kill strawberries is setting them at the wrong depth. The crown — the thick central point where leaves emerge from the roots — must sit right at the soil surface. Plant it too deep and the crown rots; too shallow and the exposed roots dry out and the plant heaves loose. Here is the correct approach:

1. Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots out and down without bending or bunching them.
2. Set the crown at soil level, so the base of the leaves is just above the surface and the top of the roots is just below it.
3. Firm the soil around the roots and water in well to settle it.
4. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart, giving room for runners and airflow.

Get the crown depth right at planting and the rest of strawberry care becomes far easier, because the plant establishes strong roots from the start.

Watering Strawberries: Shallow Roots Need Consistency

Water is the care factor that most directly controls berry size and sweetness:

• Amount: 1 to 2 inches per week, increasing during flowering, fruiting and hot weather.
• Method: water at the base in the morning; overhead watering wets fruit and crowns, inviting gray mold and rot.
• Why it matters: roots sit in the top few inches of soil and dry out quickly, so a dry spell during fruiting gives small, dry berries.
• Drip or soaker hose is ideal, keeping foliage dry and moisture even.

Feeding Strawberries at the Right Time

Timing feed correctly is more important than quantity, because too much nitrogen at the wrong moment grows leaves and soft fruit:

1. At planting: work compost and a balanced fertilizer into the bed.
2. Early spring: a balanced feed as growth resumes.
3. After harvest (June-bearers): feed during renovation to build next year's crown.
4. Avoid heavy nitrogen just before fruiting, which trades berries for foliage and produces soft fruit prone to rot.

Everbearing and day-neutral types appreciate light monthly feeding through the season. The specific blends that suit strawberries are covered in the best fertilizer for strawberries.

Managing runners

Runners are the long stems that grow daughter plants, and how you handle them shapes your harvest:

• June-bearers: remove most runners so energy goes into the crown and next year's fruit; keep a few only to fill gaps or propagate.
• Everbearing and day-neutral: remove runners so the mother plant keeps fruiting.
• How: snip close to the base with clean scissors as they appear; do not tear them.
• To propagate: pin selected runners into pots or soil, let them root, then sever from the mother.

Mulching and weed control

Strawberries earned their name from being mulched with straw, and the practice still pays off. A 2 to 3 inch layer of straw or pine needles keeps ripening fruit off the soil (preventing rot and dirt), holds moisture around the shallow roots, suppresses weeds that compete heavily with strawberries, and moderates soil temperature. Keep mulch pulled slightly back from the crowns so they do not stay wet and rot. Weed by hand and shallowly — strawberry roots are near the surface and easily damaged.

Renovating June-bearing beds

After a June-bearing bed finishes fruiting, renovation resets it for a strong crop next year:

1. Mow or shear the foliage to about 1 inch above the crowns, being careful not to cut into the crowns themselves.
2. Thin the plants to about 4 to 6 inches apart, removing the oldest and weakest.
3. Narrow the rows back to a manageable width.
4. Feed and water to push fresh growth into the crowns before fall.

Renovation is only for June-bearers; do not shear everbearing or day-neutral plants, which are still fruiting.

Common strawberry pests and diseases

Strawberries attract their share of trouble, but most is manageable with clean culture and good airflow:

The two highest-value defenses are simple: mulch to keep fruit off wet soil, and give plants enough space and thinning so air moves through the bed. Netting is the only reliable answer to birds, which will otherwise take the ripest berries the day before you would have. Rotating to a fresh bed every three to four years also breaks the soilborne disease cycle that builds up in aging plantings.

Winter protection and a care calendar

In zones 6 and colder, mulch crowns with 3 to 4 inches of clean straw once plants go dormant, protecting the shallow crowns from freeze-thaw heaving and killing cold; remove it in early spring when growth resumes. Here is the year at a glance:

Replace the bed every three to four years as production declines. For pruning technique see how to prune strawberries, if you are growing in containers our strawberry planter picks cover the best vessels, and the full seeds and vegetable growing hub has the rest of the fruit and vegetable garden.