Strawberry Varieties in Texas

Production Schedule

• Since everbearing and day-neutral strawberry varieties that fruit more than once in a year were developed for cooler climates, spring-bearing types, called June bearers, are the only ones reliably productive in Texas. Ripening dates vary from late February in southernmost Texas to mid-June in the counties closest to Oklahoma. Put your strawberry plants out the preceding fall, optimally between September 20 and October 15. Commercial growers here stick with an annual production system, rather than a perennial one, and home gardeners find it the best, as well. Benefits include healthier plants, bigger fruit and fewer weeds. "Chandler," in particular, flourishes under this system.

"Chandler"

• The leading strawberry variety in supermarket produce sections, "Chandler" is also the champion home garden variety in most of Texas. Its large, juicy berries feature excellent flavor and a pleasing texture. Very popular in California and much of the West, too, "Chandler" shows some resistance to leaf spot, a disease common to strawberries. Like other June-bearing varieties, "Chandler" sends out runners after fruit production stops. These runners can be snipped from the parent plants, rooted and saved for the next year's planting.

Other June Bearers

• As "Chandler" is not always available at local nurseries in the fall, "Sequoia" or "Douglas" can be substituted with good results. The most commonly sold strawberry plant in Texas garden centers, "Sequoia," an older variety, has tasty, high-quality berries. It bears fruit for an extended period and resists most strawberry leaf diseases. Able to adapt to the changeable Texas climate, "Douglas" is another excellent choice for fall planting.

Tips for Best Care

• Rather than planting your strawberries in less than desirable soil, build a raised bed to be filled with sandy or sandy loam soil having a neutral or slightly acidic pH. Or grow the berries in strawberry pots or other containers. Prior to planting, mix a 15-5-10 fertilizer into the soil. Covering the soil with black plastic before planting adds warmth during the winter, controls weeds and retains moisture. If the fall weather is hot and dry, water daily for two weeks following planting. Then water only as needed through the winter. In the summer after harvest, tear the spent plants out. Set new plants in another location in the fall. Do not replant at the same site until at least two years have passed.