When to plant Strawberry
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Strawberry in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Transplant outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.
Strawberry has two real planting calendars, and which one applies depends on how you're growing it. For the matted-row system, plant dormant bare-root crowns in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked; Clemson Cooperative Extension gives the temperature check, transplanting when air temperature runs 40 to 50°F, noting frost generally won't harm new plants at that point (Growing Strawberries in South Carolina, HGIC 1405). University of Minnesota Extension narrows that to dormant bare-root transplants in April and May, or potted transplants in May and June, planted soon after purchase once frost risk has passed.
Clemson also offers a fall, annual-hill planting alternative, September 15 through November 15, with October preferred on the Coastal Plain and September preferred in the Upstate.
Spring-set plants fruit the following spring, not the same year you plant them, per Clemson; that's the honest answer to when you'll actually get berries, worth knowing before you buy.
Strawberry is sold as dormant bare-root crowns for the spring window and as potted transplants for either the spring or fall option.
Frost hardiness
Hardy. Tolerates hard frost. Can go in the ground before the last frost date.
Sourcing notes
Plant dormant bare-root crowns in early spring as soon as soil can be worked (matted-row system); Clemson: transplant when air temp is 40-50F, "frost generally will not harm new plants." UMN: plant dormant bare-root transplants April-May, potted transplants May-June "soon after purchase after the risk of frost is past." Fall (annual-hill) planting alternative: Clemson recommends Sept 15-Nov 15 (Coastal Plain: October best; Upstate: September preferred). Spring-set plants fruit the following spring, not the year of planting.
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
Sources
- Clemson Cooperative Extension - Home & Garden Information Center, Growing Strawberries in South Carolina (HGIC 1405) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden (accessed 2026-08-04)