Planting strawberry plants in the fall is a good idea. However, most home gardeners get excited about their gardens toward the end of the winter months and don’t plan far enough ahead to plant strawberries during the autumn months of the previous year.
There are two main consequences of this widespread pattern:
1. Most home gardeners miss out on a healthy crop of strawberries during the first year (growing season) they are planted.
2. It is harder to find strawberry plants for sale in the fall months simply due to supply and demand. Demand is much less, so supply is much less.
This post is for those people looking to plant strawberry plants in the fall so that they can reap a healthy harvest of strawberries during the gardening season the following spring/summer. Below you will find some helpful reminders and information, as well as a list of suppliers who offer fall strawberry plants for sale.
Fall Strawberry Plants : Info
Planting strawberries in the fall makes much sense. It makes so much sense that commercial strawberry farms almost exclusively plant strawberry plants during the fall months after they have harvested the previous year’s strawberries. If you plant in the spring (as most hobby gardeners do), much more care is required and much more time passes from the time the strawberry plants are planted until a full harvest is reaped (see the Growing Strawberries page for more information).
By planting a strawberry bed in the early fall months, the strawberry plants are able to fully establish themselves and their root system prior to going dormant for the winter. Then, as the temperatures rise in the late winter or early spring months, a fully-rooted and more mature plant begins to put forth new foliage and flower stalks. Instead of pinching off the strawberry flowers so that the roots can establish, the already-established roots pull water and nutrients from the soil to support the growing strawberries. This allows a healthy harvest during the first growing season instead of the second!
Additionally, most mail order nurseries will ship strawberry plugs with intact roots for fall planting. This helps the plants establish more quickly than bareroot plants and helps minimize the number of plants that die (more plugs survive than do shipped and planted bareroot plants).
Hopefully, those strawberry gardeners with an inclination toward planning will realize the benefits of planting fall strawberry plants. The next step is to find out where one can buy fall strawberry plants. Keep reading!
Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale
This list of suppliers who offer fall strawberry plants for sale is a smaller sub-directory of our main directory. If you happen to find this list during the spring months, be sure to check out our much larger directory of suppliers here: Strawberry Plants for Sale. Also, if you are aware of another supplier who sells fall strawberries, be sure to let me know, and I will include them in this directory. You can use the About page to send a message.
You can order strawberry plants for autumn planting from any of these suppliers:
Aaron’s Creek Farms, Inc. (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Chandler, Sweet Charlie
Burgess Seed & Plant Co. (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Allstar, Bargain, Burgess Goliath, Ft. Laramie, Giant Robinson, Honeoye, Ozark Beauty, Quinault, Sparkle, Strazzberry, Surecrop
Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Coastal Wild Strawberry, Ranier, Shuksan, Tristar
Burpee (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Alexandria, Alpine Collection, Elan F1, Fragola di Bosco, Mignonette, Roman F1, Tristan F1, White Soul, Yellow Wonder
Dobie’s of Devon (direct…) [UK]
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Aromel, Cambridge Favourite, Christine, Flamenco, Judibell, Malling Opal, Malwina, Royal Sovereign, Sallybright
Farmer Seed and Nursery (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Allstar, Bargain, Cardinal, Fort Laramie, Honeoye, Ogallala, Ozark Beauty, Quinault, Robinson (Giant Robinson), Sequoia, Sparkle, Surecrop, Strazzberry
Ison’s Nursery & Vineyard (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Chandler, Sweet Charlie
Jekka’s Herb Farm (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry, Fragaria vesca White Delight
Jung Seeds & Plants (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Cabot, Honeoye, Sparkle
Kube Pak (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Chandler, Jewel
Marshalls Vegetable & Fruit Company (direct…) [UK]
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Amelia, Cambridge Favourite, Flamenco, Marshmarvel, Marshmello, Royal Sovereign
One Green World (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Alexandria, Gerald Straley, Gold Leaf Alpine Strawberry, Hood, Italian Alpine, Rugen Improved, Seascape, Shuksan, Tristar
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (aka Grow Organic) (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Selva (organic plants)
Postal Plants Direct (direct…) [UK]
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Alice, Christine, Emily, Royal Sovereign
Raintree Nursery (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: Albicarpa White Alpine Strawberry, Lipstick Strawberry, Mignonette Alpine, Rugen Alpine, Seascape, Shuksan, Tri Star, Wild Strawberry
Spring Hill Nursery (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale:Sweet Giant
Stargazer Perennials (direct…)
Varieties of Strawberry Plants for Sale Online: Allstar, Alpine Strawberry Mignonette, Alpine Strawberry Vesca, Aromas, Fort Laramie, Honeoye, Hood, Ozark Beauty, Shuksan
Summerstone Nursery (direct…)
Varieties of Fall Strawberry Plants for Sale: All-Star, Annapolis, Cavendish, Earliglow, Gem Everbearing, Guardin, Honeoye, Jewel, Mira, Noreaster, Ozark Beauty, Primetime, Sparkle, Surecrop, Tennessee Beauty
Superb Strawberry Plants (direct…) [UK]
Varieties of Strawberry Plants for Sale Online: Albion, Aromel, Bogota, Cambridge Prizewinner, Cambridge Vigour, Charlotte, Christine, Darselect, Delia, Elsanta, Elvira, Emily, Eros, Flamenco, Florence, Gariguette, Gento, Gorella, Grandee, Hapil, Honeyoye, Korona, Mae, Mara des Bois, Marmolado, Ostara, Rabunda, Red Gauntlet, Rhapsody, Rosie, Royal Sovereign, Talisman, Totem
The Strawberry Store, LLC (direct…)
Varieties of Strawberry Plants for Sale Online: Alexandria, Ali Baba, Baron Solemacher, Capron, Concepcion, Fragaria vesca vesca, Fragaria virginiana, Fragola di Bosco, Fragola Quattro Stagioni, Golden Alexandria, Holiday, Intensity, Ivory, Madame Mutot, Male Musk Strawberry, Mara des Bois, Mignonette, New Giant, Pata de Gallina, Pineapple Crush, Profumata di Tortona, Red Wonder, Regina, Reine des Vallees, Rozeya, Rozeye, Ruegen Improved, Snovit, White Carolina (white-fruited pineberry), White D (white-fruited pineberry), White Delight, White Pine (white-fruited pineberry), White Solemacher, White Soul, Yellow Alpine, Yellow Delight, Yellow Wonder
Victoriana Nursery Gardens (direct…) [UK]
Varieties of Strawberry Plants for Sale Online: Royal Sovereign
Willis Orchard Company (direct…)
Varieties of Strawberry Plants for Sale Online: Chandler, Seascape, Sequoia, Sweet Charlie
Fall Strawberry Plants Conclusion
Remember, plant inventories are usually a bit transient as plant stock is sold out and replenished or replaced with other, better-selling varieties. So, if you find that some of the varieties listed above are no longer offered by the companies/nurseries, please notify me, and the list will be updated. Planning ahead and planting ahead can make a tremendous difference with the quality and quantity of your first strawberry harvest. Why not consider buying and planting some fall strawberry plants instead of waiting until the spring?!
It is early November in Utah. A friend offered me a bunch of strawberry transplants. Am I too late? What if I built some cold frames around them with clear plastic? Would that keep them warm enough to root before going dormant? Daytime highs this week will be in the 40s earlier and 50s later this week. Lows will be in the high 20s and low 30s. Thanks!
April,
It may be too late to get them to root, but a cold frame would help if you are determined to try to get them in the ground. You can probably keep them alive until next year with less effort if you take care of them well. See this post on Storing Bare-Root Strawberry Plants for help, and good luck!
I plan to plant strawberry plants today on a warm oct 6th in NY. I bought the plants in the spring and kept the in a planter, pinching off flowers, etc. Should these more mature plants do well planting now? Anything else to consider?
Ahab,
Yes, the plants should do just fine as long as they are transplanted into their new homes gently. You should have a nice harvest next Spring!
I’m thinning my established bed and transplanting the runners to a new fertile bed. As the plants are dug, I’m selecting only those with a nice healthy crown. Can all of the leaves/stems be cut off during transplant leaving only the center crown?
I live in Sonoma Cal and planted bare root strawberries in mid September. They are doing very well and are starting to flower in our warm fall weather. Should I cut the flowers off now or see if I get some berries before the freeze.
Jhn,
Yes, you can trim all the leaves off. However, it is best to leave them intact. I’d recommend only removing the older leaves or the ones that show signs of age or disease. The healthy leaves will aid the plant in its production of energy, help the roots establish themselves more fully in the new location, and help them produce more flower buds (which will be strawberries next spring) instead of working to produce more leaflets. Good luck!
Tommer,
You should snip the flowers this Fall. Doing so will help the roots establish themselves well before Winter comes. Next Spring, you can expect a full harvest! Good luck!
The strawberries I ordered to plant this fall took nearly a month to arrive – much later than I’d hoped for. I planted them Oct. 23rd. We’re in the midst of some gorgeous Indian summer weather here in central Virginia (it was 82º when I planted) and we’ve still got plenty of mild weather to come. However, I assume that by planting this late the roots aren’t going to get established. If that is the case, should I pick the flowers next year instead of letting them fruit or will I be able to get a crop?
Thanks for this great resource. If I hadn’t found it I wouldn’t have planted until next year. It was nice to discover that I could get something in the ground in the fall.
Rick,
Good news! In your situation, the roots should be able to adequately establish themselves this Fall. So, you can look forward to enjoying your strawberries next Spring. Good luck!