Strawberry late-season plants

Which late-season strawberry varieties should you choose?

Choose one of the late-season strawberry varieties and extend the harvesting period of these seasonal fruits in your own garden. Late-season strawberries can be eaten fresh, frozen, and are also great for preserves.

Late-season strawberry 'Florence'

A very popular late-fruiting strawberry variety is 'Florence'. This British variety produces fruits that ripen at the end of June and continue fruiting until mid-July. 'Florence' has an upright habit and strong growth. Its fruits are extremely tasty, sweet and firm, large or very large, with a dark red or burgundy colour. This variety is highly productive, frost-resistant and tolerant of transport. It is rarely attacked by spider mites or the strawberry mite and shows resistance to grey mould, powdery mildew and verticillium wilt.

Late-season strawberry 'Senga Sengana'

The variety 'Senga Sengana' also belongs to the group of late strawberries. This German variety is popular both in commercial cultivation and in home gardens. It is perfect for preserves and freezing. The first fruits are fairly large, the following ones medium-sized, and at the end of the season they become small. They have a slightly tangy flavour, firm flesh and are very aromatic. This variety is productive and resistant to verticillium wilt, but it is susceptible to grey mould and leaf spot. One of its advantages is its low sensitivity to drought.

Late-season strawberry 'Murzynek'

Another variety worth considering is the dessert strawberry 'Murzynek', a very old variety commonly grown in Scandinavia. This plant grows vigorously and is highly productive. The fruits are large or medium-sized, with a dark red, glossy skin. The flesh is juicy, aromatic and firm. 'Murzynek' tastes excellent fresh but can also be used for processing. It is resistant to low temperatures and drought. It is unaffected by nematodes and root diseases but may be attacked by grey mould.

When are late-season strawberries planted?

If you plan to grow late-season strawberries and are using Frigo plants, remember that Frigo technology allows you to control the fruiting time. Plants grown from Frigo seedlings fruit after only 5–6 weeks. If you want to harvest in July, which is the natural fruiting time for late-season strawberries, plant them at the end of May. They can also be planted earlier or later (Frigo strawberries can be planted from March to June), but remember that in the following year they will fruit according to their natural schedule.

Green late strawberry plants can be planted at the beginning of May or in autumn, before the first frosts. Potted late strawberry plants are placed in the ground in the second half of May or at the beginning of August.

Cultivation of late-season strawberries

The soil in which late-season strawberries grow should be rich in humus, fertile, well-aerated and slightly acidic. They require moderately moist soil. They should not be overwatered, as this may cause them to rot. They tolerate occasional drought better than excessive watering. As with other varieties, late-season strawberries should not be planted where potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes or brassica vegetables have previously grown, because this increases the risk of fungal diseases. Before planting strawberries, it is recommended to fertilise the soil with manure or compost. The soil should be well loosened, weeded and free of roots of dandelion, knotweed and couch grass.

Late-season strawberry plants are usually planted in rows spaced about 50 cm apart, with 25–30 cm spacing between plants. In the cultivation of these plants, it is worth using horticultural fleece, which helps reduce weed growth and prevents the fruits from becoming covered with soil. It is important to plant strawberries in holes of the appropriate depth. Their roots should not curl after being placed in the hole, and you must also ensure that the bud visible above the root, known to growers as the crown, remains above ground level.

At the end of flowering, the soil can be mulched with bark to help retain moisture. If you want abundant yields, be sure to regularly remove the runners. This prevents the plants from competing for light, nutrients and water. It is worth remembering that an excessive amount of nutrients in the soil causes strawberries to produce more runners. No later than two weeks after harvesting the fruits, the strawberry leaves should be mown. This is done in such a way that the crown is not damaged and the plant remains a few centimetres high.