This page is a profile summary of the strawberry cultivar ‘Sweet Charlie’ (Fragaria x ananassa). It will provide details on Sweet Charlie strawberry plants and Sweet Charlie strawberries so that an informed decision can be made regarding its suitability for varying growing locations and uses. Sweet Charlie strawberry suppliers are also listed.
Jump to:
- Where to Grow Sweet Charlie Strawberries
- Growing Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants: Conditions
- Disease Resistance of Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants
- Disease Susceptibility of Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants
- Sweet Charlie Strawberries
- Notable Features of Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plant & Strawberries
- Additional Information about the Strawberry Sweet Charlie
- Purchase Plants from These Sweet Charlie Strawberry Suppliers
Where to Grow Sweet Charlie Strawberries
Sweet Charlie strawberry plants are the most popular commercial strawberry variety grown in Florida. They are uniquely suited for use as a short-day cultivar. They are also often grown commercially in North Carolina and California. Sweet Charlie isn’t limited to these famous strawberry states, however. They will generally do well in most of the southern states. USDA hardiness zones 5, 6, 7, and 8 generally provide adequate conditions for productive growth. See the map below for states where Sweet Charlie strawberry plants should thrive. Also, for more details on growing Sweet Charlie plants, see the Growing Strawberries page.
Growing Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants: Conditions
Sweet Charlie strawberry plants like full sun and need moist, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. This variety does best growing in soil with a pH between 5.6 and 6.6. Additionally, if rainfall is not adequate, supplemental watering will be required for plant health and strawberry production.
Disease Resistance of Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants
Sweet Charlie strawberry plants have varying resistance to multiple common strawberry pathogens. They demonstrate resistance to crown rot and fruit rot, two-spotted spider mites, and powdery mildew. They are highly resistant to anthracnose fruit rot caused by Colletotrichum acutatum and slightly more susceptible to Phomopsis fruit rot.
Disease Susceptibility of Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants
The Sweet Charlie strawberry cultivar is susceptible to several common diseases. They succumb to leaf blight (Phomopsis) and fruit rot caused by Botrytis.
Sweet Charlie Strawberries
Sweet Charlie strawberry plants are small and compact making picking relatively easy. The Sweet Charlie strawberries are medium in size, but, as the name suggests, deliciously sweet. Sweet Charlie strawberry plants are June-bearers, but an excellent choice for use as a short-day variety in warmer climates. They produce about a week before Chandler Strawberry Plants in the early season (see the Strawberry Varieties page for more information) and have a relatively low acid level. The best time to harvest Sweet Charlie strawberries is after the very tip of the strawberry has reddened. See the Strawberry Picking page for additional details.
Sweet Charlie is a vigorous produce and a great choice for the home garden. They are firm, can tolerate gentle shipping over short distances, and have deep red mature strawberries. The plants have leaves that are medium to dark green, slightly cupped, and semi-glossy.
Sweet Charlie strawberry plants have an atypical ripening profile that can be quite variable. Generally the variety has two weeks of early production that produces very good, high-quality strawberries. However, after the initial two weeks, size tends to drop off drastically in the early midseason. And, even more interestingly, a second crop of very large Sweet Charlie berries are produced in the last week of strawberry season in some years even though they are June-bearing plants. Generally, however, a Sweet Charlie strawberry plant will produce between 1 and 2 pints of strawberries per season.
Notable Features of Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plant & Strawberries
1. Excellent Choice for Home Gardens
2. Excellent Strawberry for Fresh Eating
3. High Yield of Strawberries
Additional Information about the Strawberry Sweet Charlie
Sweet Charlie strawberry plants are vigorous once established. They attract butterflies and bees, but birds will also visit once the strawberries start ripening. To prevent loss, bird netting can be used.
‘Sweet Charlie’ was developed at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Hillsborough County, Florida. After development, it was patented by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in 1994 and is now protected under U.S. Plant Patent PP 8,729. Unauthorized propagation is against the law. The Sweet Charlie cultivar was hand pollinated as a cross between FL 80-456 and Pajaro.
Purchase Plants from These Sweet Charlie Strawberry Suppliers
If you are wondering where to buy Sweet Charlie strawberry plants, the following table contains reputable suppliers of Sweet Charlie strawberry plants. Also, price shopping is easy on the Buy Strawberry Plants listing.
| Amazon.com | Greenwood Nursery |
| Aaron’s Creek Farms, Inc. | Ison’s Nursery & Vineyard |
| Bob Wells Nursery | GardenHarvestSupply.com |
| Just Fruits and Exotics | Willis Orchard Company |
Wendy
I have never grown Sweet Charlie before. I just planted them on April 6. Do I need to pluck the blossom this first year and leave the fruit alone until next year? Thank you.
Mary Ward
Yes, it is advised to remove the blossoms for the first year on strawberries to let it put more energy into the plant.
James Osswald
What would the square inch requirement be for ‘sweet charlies’ in a plasticulture system?
Frank
Can sweet Charlie grow in day temperatures of between 23-28 degrees Celsius?
Dan
I looked through the listed recommendations of the Strawberry Varieties for Charlotte, North Carolina. They will be grown in my home garden. I have a couple spots that give me different sunlight ranges… full sun from sunrise to sunset, as well as other spots that give me partial sun, and then down to very shady.
Would you please give me your thoughts on which of these varieties you’d choose for your garden…?
Albion, Bish, Camarosa, Camino Real, Chandler, Gaviota, Gem Star, Oso Grande, Seascape, Strawberry Festival, Sweet Charlie, Treasure, and/or Ventana.
Thank You!
Sid
Can we propagate sweet charlie plants in India. Is there any legal restriction such as patent or anything?
Mr. Strawberry
Sid,
To my knowledge, you can grow them if you can get them. The most difficult part will be getting them shipped to your country and them making it through customs. Since Sweet Charlie is a hybrid, the only way to grow them is to get live plants, which is difficult. Good luck!
Louise
I am in Alaska. I have been heaing about Sweet Charlie strawberriesfor a couple of years. I bought some this year and have them in hanging planters,in my greenhouse. I have only 3 blossoms but the plants look good. Now I read this variety is short day. Have I wasted my time on these or is there a chance of getting a harvest? I will tell you the greenhouse is unheated and our fall can start the end of August but usually is mid September. Daylight now is 22 hours a day.
Mr. Strawberry
Louise,
I wouldn’t give up; you can still get a harvest. It may not be as heavy as in more southern locales, but you very likely will get some fruit. Keep us posted on how it goes! Good luck!
Michael Murphy
Sweet Charlie is planted between end August and end September in Central fla:iwas first grower of plants on commercial scale 4 strawberry growers assoc
Erika
What is your experience in freezing Sweet Charlie strawberries? Does the fruit stay firm after unfreezing?
Mr. Strawberry
Erika,
Sweet Charlie strawberries are decent for freezing, but they will soften quite a bit after they thaw out. Good luck!
john c roberts
There again, I live in Western Kentucky and looking for the Sweet Charley plant. I would like to order plants for fall planting.
Mr. Strawberry
john c roberts,
Here are all of the suppliers of Sweet Charlie plants of which I am aware. Good luck!
Cindy S Lear
I live in Western Kentucky and I am wanting to start my own strawberry bed/patch. Which strawberry do you most recommend for my area? I want a medium size sweet berry. Thanks
Mr. Strawberry
Cindy S Lear,
Try one of these! Good luck!
Mahesh
Hi Mr. Strawberry
Thanks for giving accurate information. I live in Maharashtra & my native is hill station so lot of farmers use to plant strawberry but mother plant of strawberry we got very costly because of distributors so we are planning to import mother plant & want to start this business to help farmers so please give suggestions & information.here we use to plant sweet Charlie & winter mother plant
Mr. Strawberry
Mahesh,
I don’t personally ship any plants. My recommendation would be to check with suppliers on the Buy Strawberries page. Good luck!
Inder
Hi.
Can strawbery grow from seed
Can we make more plant from one plant.
In india from where we buy seed or plant.
Thanks.
Mr. Strawberry
Inder,
Yes, strawberries can grow from seed. Yes, they clone themselves. Try contacting these suppliers for seeds or plants. Good luck!
S. Albritton
I planted sweet charlie plugs last October, and despite many days of temperatures in the teens and lowtwenties as well as two ice/snow storms that covered them under 2-4 inches for days, they never went dormant.As a matter of fact, the continued putting on new growth. I am in Georgia, near Atlanta. Will they fail to produce well because of this? Does it also explain why I have loads of blooms already? Should I pick these blooms to let the plants grow more? And lastly, something ate all the mature growth off of several of my plants last night. Is this common, and what pests are likely culprits?Thanks for any help!
Straw Berry
S. Albritton,
They should still produce for you, especially if they have blooms. Since you planted in October, you don’t need to worry about snipping the flowers off this year. Just enjoy your harvest! As for what is eating your plants, my guess would be either deer or rabbits. Both are known to munch things they should not be munching about this time of year. Good luck!
TL
Hi, can you suggest me suppliers who will export first generation or mother plants for sweet charlie to India? Thanks
Mr. Strawberry
TL,
I’m sure most of the suppliers would be willing to ship to you. However, they likely wouldn’t be able to make it through customs to get into your country. For more, see this: Shipping Strawberry Plants.
Dwight Frost
What is the best veterlizer for these Sweet Charlie plants. and are there any places in East Tennessee Near Johnson city Tn 37615 and where can I order these.and how far apart should I plant
Mr. Strawberry
Dwight,
You can find the answer to your questions on the Growing Strawberries reference page. As for ordering, you can have the plants shipped to your door anywhere in the USA. See the sellers here: Sweet Charlie.
Shankar Dhamunase
You are give me information about winterdown plants
Mr. Strawberry
Shankar,
I’d be happy to give you information about what I think you are requesting. You can find much information here: Overwintering Strawberries.
deborah blackwell
Can we cut the shoots and plant them? we have lots of shoots on our plants that have good roots…..thanks for any help, and when is the best time to plant them?
Mr. Strawberry
deborah,
Once the roots are established, you can snip the “shoots” and re-plant them anywhere you would like! For much more information on the shoots (more commonly called “runners”), see these two pages: Strawberry Runners / Transplanting Strawberries
Ramona
I purchased Sweet Charlie plants in November 2021 and planted them directly in the ground. They began to send out runners immediately and needed transplanting. I was able to transplant to a new location in March just as they were beginning to blossom so I think that stunted their production greatly. Since then, the plants have grown in size and recently started producing strawberries again but not in great numbers. Is this normal for this variety? Is this normal for May? They are producing some runners too but I am pinching those off to encourage more berry production. They seem to be acting like an ever-bearing strawberry. I live in North Florida.