Freshly harvested local strawberries may soon be spotted on holiday
tables in the mid-Atlantic region. An Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) scientist developed a new method for propagating June-bearing
strawberry varieties that allows the plants to fruit in the fall,
continue fruiting until December, and then fruit again in the spring.

This double cropping of June-bearing strawberries is a phenomenon not
normally observed in the mid-Atlantic states, where the plants
traditionally flower and bear fruit only in spring.

The new method of double cropping June-bearing strawberries requires
harvesting small plants (called runner tips) from mother plants in early
July. Those tips are put into 8-cubic-inch containers and placed under
water misters for rooting. Eight-week-old transplants are planted in the
field in early September. They will flower and fruit during the same
fall. (and bees will help production, no doubt!)

With the standard method, runner tips are harvested in early August and
planted in the field as 4-week-old transplants. They will flower and
bear fruit only during the following spring.


Kim Flottum
Editor, BeeCulture

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