Strawberries are fruits that come from the fragaria plants and belong to the rose family. An average strawberry contains about 200 seeds that can grow to make new plants or reproduce by runners. The plants can also form matted colonies that can survive up to 50 years.
Strawberries are native to North and South America where they were among the first fruits to ripen and be enjoyed by the indigenous peoples. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans love this fruit so much that they eat an average of 1.54 kgs a year. Every U.S. state and Canadian province is also known to grow these plants.
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Strawberry Nutrition Facts Chart
Now let’s jump into your strawberry options.
Basic Types
Day-Neutral Strawberries
These types of strawberries have three separate periods where they peek at fruiting. These include early June, mid-July, and late-August. This allows for a crop that is spread out nicely, allowing you to enjoy these strawberries for a very long time.
Everbearing Strawberries
Everbearing strawberries have modest crops, but as soon as you get 12 hours of daylight they can start blooming. They also continue bearing fruit until late in the summer, so you can look forward to having fresh strawberries for many months in a row.
June-Bearing Strawberries
As a general rule, these strawberries bloom in June, hence their name, and they produce one very large crop during that time frame. They, sometimes, bear fruit a little earlier or later than June, but most of them stick to that particular month. The June-bearing strawberries are the most common type of strawberries planted in the United States, and they include varieties such as the Jewel and the Allstar.
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Basic Varieties
Albion Strawberries
These are day-neutral strawberries with very large, firm fruit. They have numerous runners and are very resistant to disease.
Allstar Strawberries
These strawberries are usually paler than other varieties, but they are very sweet and juicy. Perfect to use in salads, the Allstar strawberry has a perfect strawberry shape and is very firm. It makes a perfect choice for the home garden because it holds its size very well, as compared to other types of strawberries.
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Alpine Strawberries
These are small, but very sweet wild strawberries that come from France. In fact, they are typically no larger than a small fingernail, although their taste is exquisite.
Aroma Strawberries
Aroma strawberries are delicious, large, firm, and have great color and sheen. They even produce fruit late in the season, and they produce lots of it as well.
Camino Real Strawberries
Camino Real strawberries have dark-red fruit that is very firm and has a great flavor and long shelf life. Although smaller than other types of strawberries, they produce a lot of fruit at a time when other types of strawberries are going dormant.
Diamante Strawberries
These strawberries are very large and flavorful, and they have a bright-red sheen. In fact, the Diamante strawberries are known for their great flavor and their exceptionally large size. If you want the perfect strawberry for pies or preserves, this is one to consider.
They also taste great when covered in chocolate or otherwise eating fresh.
Earliglow Strawberries
The Earliglow strawberries are resistant to root and leaf diseases, and they bloom early and have fruit that is extremely sweet.
Elsanta Strawberries
Day-neutral strawberries, the Elsanta are very large, firm, and sweet, although you do have to watch them when it comes to diseases.
Fragaria Virginiana Strawberries
This is a version of the wild strawberry and is very red and tasty. In fact, they are much tastier than a lot of the strawberries found in the supermarket, and they are one of only two varieties that have been hybridized to create what people now call the garden variety of strawberry.
Garden Strawberries
This is the most common type of strawberry in the United States, and they are large, very sturdy, and taste like a traditional strawberry. Moreover, these strawberries are so durable that they can grow in almost any type of conditions, making them a little easier to grow than other types of strawberries.
Hood Strawberries
Originating from Oregon, their season is relatively short – only a few weeks – which means you need to grab them quickly if you wish to grow this type of strawberry. In the Pacific Northwest, these are the types of strawberries most used for premium ice cream, and it has glossy red fruit that gets a tad darker when it’s fully ripe. Hood strawberries are sweet and high in quality, and among their many other uses, they are excellent for jams and preserves.
Jewel Strawberries
These are everbearing strawberries and produce moderate runners and large, sweet fruit. They also have some resistance to disease.
Northeaster Strawberries
These strawberries bloom early, grow vigorously, and produce a lot of very large fruit.
Quinault Strawberries
Quinault strawberries are everbearing strawberries that have large, very soft fruit and are resistant to many different diseases.
Rosa Linda Strawberries
Originating in Florida, Rosa Linda strawberries are bright red in color, all the way through, and they are medium-sized berries with a very full flavor.
Seascape Strawberries
With a bright-red color and a perfect strawberry shape, Seascape strawberries have a glossy finish and are sweet, but not too sweet. If you stop at a farmers’ market or at a roadside fruit stand, it is likely you’ll be able to purchase some Seascape strawberries.
Sweet Charlie Strawberries
Sweet Charlie strawberries are an orange-red color on the outside, but have orange streaked with white on the inside. They have a high sugar-to-acid ratio and, therefore, a very distinct sweet taste. They are not only very tasty but also a beautiful shade of red.
They produce a lot of fruit and are a favorite in southern gardens.
Tillamook Strawberries
These strawberries are early bloomers and are great eaten fresh or when used in preserves. They are also resistant to some diseases, although not all of them.
Ventana Strawberries
With a bright-red color and a good flavor, the Ventana strawberry originated in California and has excellent quality. It usually bears fruit in June, and best of all, you can sell them at fresh markets and process them in various dishes as well.
Wild Strawberries
Wild strawberries are found in open fields and woodlands, but they are much more than just smaller-than-normal strawberries. Contrary to what many people think, wild strawberries are not poisonous, although the plant known as the Indian mock strawberry – which has yellow flowers instead of white ones – doesn’t taste as good as the regular strawberries do.