When to Plant Strawberry Plants Before the Frost

Fall Planting for Berries Next Year

• It has long been thought that unless you live in a frost-free region of the United States, you should plant and transplant your strawberry plants in the early spring after the last frost. The drawback to spring strawberry planting is that you may not have any berries to harvest until the following year. If you can plant your strawberries in the fall and prepare them for surviving winter, you have a much better chance of having a strawberry crop the next summer.

  Fall planting of strawberries is done in September to the first half of October, and up to mid-November in areas that do not receive early frost or freezing. Where frost and freeze come early, plan to plant your strawberries as early as mid- to late August. Plant them the same as you would if you were planting in early spring: in a sunny spot with well-draining soil that is augmented with compost. Plant your strawberries so that there is enough time before cold temperatures arrive to let the plants establish their root system in the soil; usually 6 to 8 weeks is sufficient.

  One of the most important ways to ensure the success of fall planted strawberries is to properly prepare them for the winter. Before the first heavy frost comes, cover your strawberry plants with a thick layer--4 inches or more--of mulch. One ideal mulch for your strawberries is clean, dry straw. By doing this you not only protect your plants from the winter cold, but also keep the ground warmer so it does not freeze, which may push your strawberry plants out of the ground. In the spring, as the threat of frost decreases, carefully remove the mulch from your plants--but leave the removed mulch somewhere beside your plants so that, in case an unexpected late frost should be forecast, you can quickly recover the plants for frost protection.