What Causes Strawberries to Stop Bearing Fruit After the First Harvest?

June-Bearing Strawberries

• June-bearing strawberries may actually have fruit any time from May to the end of June, depending on your area and the variety. They bear heavily and often have the best flavor, but you get one harvest and that's it for the year. You'll also have the widest selection of varieties with this type of strawberry.

  June-bearers produce lots of runners and are often grown in the "matted row" system. Plants are spaced 18 to 30 inches apart in rows about 3 feet apart, and the runners are allowed to root between them, creating a dense bed about 2 feet wide. Plants do not bear until the year after planting.

Everbearing Strawberries

• Everbearing strawberries have two or three bloom periods during the year, followed by a crop of berries. The first is often the largest, and the others smaller. These strawberries have fewer runners than June-bearing plants and may be more suitable for small gardens. They are often planted about 1 foot apart, and all runners are removed to foster a larger mother plant. After planting, any blossoms that appear should be removed until the end of June, then allow fruit to set for a full harvest the first year.

Day-Neutral Strawberries

• The newest type of strawberry is the day-neutral, varieties that keep producing flowers and fruit throughout the spring, summer and fall. They will stop bearing when the temperature gets over 85 degrees, so in warmer areas they produce only in spring and fall. These are treated much like everbearers, having few runners and being capable of a harvest the first year.

Growing Strawberries

• Strawberries need full sun, regular watering and a nutrient-rich soil high in organic matter with a pH of 5.8 to 6.5. They dislike excessively wet soil and so should be grown in raised beds where drainage is poor. Varieties differ in their resistance to certain diseases as well as their texture, flavor and freezing quality. In addition, a variety that does well in cool-summer areas may be poorly suited for warmer climates. Ask for a list of recommended varieties from your local county extension service before buying.