While many northern gardeners grow strawberries as an annual crop, they are a great perennial crop for the home garden. Winterizing strawberry plants can create a more productive, long-lasting cultivar than growing them as annuals.
As cold temperatures make their way in, new flower buds have already been set for early spring and are at risk of being damaged by the cold weather. As long as these new buds are properly protected, strawberries will come back for years to come.
What temperature do you cover strawberries?
Winterizing your strawberry plants is likely one of the last chores you'll have to prepare your garden for winter. However, the best time to do so varies from year to year and place to place.
As I mentioned, strawberries set buds for the following spring before the frost settles in for the fall and winter months. But, unlike some of your garden plants, strawberries do not go fully dormant with the first frost of the year.
Typically, USDA zones 5 and lower strawberry plants will be ready to winterize by late November or early December. In zones 6 through 8, usually late December will be the time you'll want to winterize strawberries. Keep in mind, though that in places with mild winters, particularly zones 7 and higher, the plants will survive the winter without any special care.
All of that said, you'll know it's time to winterize your plants when the plants have gone dormant and the vegetation looks wilted. Generally, this occurs when daytime temperatures are in the steady 40 degrees f area and nighttime temps are routinely reaching the 20°F range.
Once low temperatures begin to dip into the 20s, it's time to get moving. Allowing temperatures to dip below 15 degrees Fahrenheit will likely damage your plants.
Winterizing Strawberry Plants in the Ground
This method works for both plants planted directly into the ground as well as raised garden beds.
When winterizing this crop, be sure to check the plant crowns for any signs of new plant growth. If the plant is truly dormant, there will not be any signs of fresh growth going on.
Next, carefully clean out the strawberry beds of dead plant matter, leaves, and other debris within the area. You can gently use a rake, or you can do it by hand depending on how large the area is. We usually incorporate our kids to help us pull all the dead, wilted debris out from between all of the crowns.
Winterizing ground plants is pretty easy once you get the area cleaned out. If you're in a colder zone, you'll want to use straw mulch or another material and pile it on thicker the colder it gets in your area.
However, in warmer zones with more mild winters, zone 6, for instance, row covers usually provide adequate winter protection.
Winterizing Strawberries in Containers
Strawberries grow well in containers. If your strawberries are in traditional, movable pots, you have a couple of options. If they're in non-traditional containers such as pyramids, tubes, or other plantings you'll take care of them much like an in-ground plant would be winterized.
First of all, just like in-ground plants, you'll want to clean up any debris, dead leaves, etc out of the container.
Winterize container plants in an unheated garage
If the pots are movable, simply placing them in an unheated garage can be adequate protection without mulching. This works best if your garage doesn't get above 20°F to 25°F. If you live in a particularly cold zone where it gets very cold in your garage, place the potted plants toward the middle. If your garage stays on the warmer side, putting them near an outside wall or closer to the entry door will help keep them at the right temperature.
Note that using the garage can be a great option, but the plants do need moisture. If the soil dries out, the plants will die. However, too much moisture will also kill them. Water the plants once a week to keep the soil adequately moist, but not drenched. Another good idea is to put a little snow on the top of them every so often so it will melt over time to keep them watered.
Winterize container strawberry plants in the ground
Another option is to place the strawberry pots in the ground. Of course, this means more work, you'll have to dig a hole large enough to fit the pot(s) inside. Pack soil along the sides of the pots so it's firmly placed and well-insulated by the earth. Then, mulch on top of the potted strawberry plant like you would in-ground plants.
This method won't require any extra watering, as nature will do her job. However, it definitely requires a little extra work to dig the holes for the pots.
Mulching strawberry plants for winter
After the strawberry patch is clean, you can put mulch on top of the plants around them to help protect them from frost.
Straw is a good choice for mulch, but pine needles, evergreen branches, and chopped corn stalks are all great options as well. While you can use hay, it generally harbors a lot of weed seeds and grass seeds making it a poor choice.
Don't use mulch materials that can compact, such as leaves, grass clippings, or bark chips as these do not allow enough airflow and can suffocate your plants as well as create a great environment for disease problems next year.
Once you've selected a mulch material, place it around and on top of your plants. About six inches of straw or other mulch is generally adequate regardless of whether the plants are in the ground or a raised bed container.
Once you have your clean straw or other mulch in place about 2 to 3 inches of mulch will remain over the winter which is adequate to protect the plants from the colder temperatures of winter.
When to remove mulch from winterized strawberries
I always write a note in my garden journal to remind me to go pull mulch off of my strawberry plants in the early spring. Otherwise, it's one of the spring chores I'm likely to forget.
When new growth begins and you begin to see those first new leaves that the beautiful spring brings, it's time to pull back most of the mulch. If the new growth looks a bit yellow, that's normal. Once it has exposure to sunlight, it will green right up.
We pull our mulch back and place it around the plants to help provide weed control and as a quick way to pull some frost protection for a late spring frost if necessary.
That's all there is to winterizing this amazing perennial crop. By doing so, you'll have productive plants for years to come.
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