Strawberries are one of those fruits popularly used in desserts and smoothies, or you can eat them covered with chocolate. But did you know there are different types of Strawberries? Yes! Though all of them might look the same, several varieties of strawberries are grown in the world. Regardless of the array, strawberries are delicious, have varying light sensitivity, and are produced in different parts of the growing season.
In this article, we have curated the list of some of the popular types of strawberries grown globally. Read on!
Basic Types of Strawberries:
Flowering plants in the Fragaria genus belong to the Rosaceae family. Strawberries are bright red coloured fruits with tiny green seeds. These fruits have an acidic, sweet flavour. As a pleasant ground cover, strawberry plants are perennials in many climates, often growing low to the soil. The classes of strawberries are done based on the time of their bearing. Here are some of the basic types of strawberries:
June-Bearing Strawberry Plants:
Every year these Strawberry plants have one monster crop. Although it depends on your zone, these fruits generally come to bear in June or a little early, hence the name.
Ever-Bearing Strawberry Plants:
These strawberry plants have modest-sized crops. But these ever-bearing plants continue bearing until the end of summer while starting to produce as soon as there are 12 hours of daylight.
Day-Neutral Strawberry Plant:
These strawberry plants’ fruiting has three peak periods which produces an outcrop that is nicely spread—these plants’ fruiting fall as early as June, Mid-July, and late August.
See More: Different Cherry Fruit Varieties
Common Strawberry Plant Varieties:
Let us go through the following section to know the common varieties of strawberries grown:
1. Honeoye Strawberry:
The Honeoye strawberries are June-bearing, day-neutral strawberries that range in colour from bright orange-red to red and are enormous. These strawberries taste very sweet, like honey, hence the name. This plant has a long growing season, has a high yield, and produces many berries. It is a popular cultivar among growers and was developed at Cornell University by plant breeders in 1979 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.
The Honeoye strawberry plants are relatively adaptable, and you can expect a spread of 12 inches and a maximum height of 8 to 10 inches. Unfortunately, this cultivar is susceptible to black root rot. However, it might not exhibit any particular types of soil disease resistance.
2. Earliglow Strawberry:
Earliglow strawberries produce berries sooner than any other strawberry, true to its name and are a June-bearing fruit. These strawberries have a sweet flavour, a deep red colour, and a conical and symmetrical shape with medium to large berry size. The Earliglow strawberries bloom early, have a firm texture, and resist root and leaf diseases. These fruits hold up to processing and freezing because of their firm texture.
The Earliglow cultivar grows the best in the full sun in zones 4 to 8 with a height of 12 inches and a spread of 24 to 36 inches at maturity, and a prostate growth habit. This strawberry type is a good option for beginners with excellent resistance to red stele and moderate resistance to verticillium wilt and root rot.
3. Allstar Strawberry:
Allstar strawberries are the stereotypical strawberries with a red, plump and perfect appearance. These strawberries ripen in late midseason with mild yet sweet flavour and disease resistance. Although sweet and juicy, these strawberries are usually paler than other varieties making them a perfect addition to salads. Compared to different strawberry types, the Allstar strawberries hold their size well.
The Allstar strawberry variety is a cross of US 4419 and MDVS 3184, released in 1981. It is a reliable cultivar developed by the USDA and the plant breeders at the University of Maryland. This midseason June-bearing variety is moderately resistant to verticillium wilt and highly resistant to red stele. This strawberry plant grows to about 10 inches with a spread of 18 inches and is suited to zones 6 to 8.
4. Ozark Beauty Strawberry:
Ozark Beauty Strawberry is one of the most popular ever-bearing strawberry varieties that produce sweet, red and rather large fruits. These strawberries were released in 1955, developed by J.B.Winn in Arkansas and are a cross between the Twentieth century and Red Rich. This cultivar can grow up to 4 inches in size with an initial yield of extra-large, juicy and sweet fruits. Throughout the growing season, there are smaller harvests.
You can grow the Ozark Beauty Strawberry plant in zones 4 to 8 in full sun and expect a growth of 6 to 8 inches and spread maturity of 12 to 24 inches. It is a highly adaptable cultivar that is well-suited to the locations at higher elevations in the south and northern climates. This plant can reportedly survive low temperatures of -30°F because it is very cold and hardy if well cared for.
5. Chandler Strawberry:
Chandler strawberries are some of the best types of strawberries that produce delicious fruits that are very large and firm. Unfortunately, although these strawberries are incredibly desirable in flavour profile and look, these fruits aren’t very resistant to diseases. Chandler strawberries are a midseason June-bearing cultivar with a classic conical shape.
The Chandler strawberry cultivar has a prostrate growth habit with a spread of 12 to 18 inches and a mature height of 6 to 8 inches. It is best suited to sull sun conditions in zones 5 to 8. This cultivar is a cross between Douglas and Cal 72.361-105 bred at the University of California and released in 1983.
See More: Different Types of Grapes
6. Jewel Strawberry:
Jewel strawberries are the picture-perfect strawberry tree varieties that produce high-quality, hearty, juicy, large and red fruits with a more extended yielding season. In addition, jewel berries are known for freezing well with a solid red hue inside out. This fruit is easy to pick, with a low-growing prostrate habit and is a late midseason June-bearing variety. This cultivar grows at a maximum height of 12 inches with a 24 to 36 inches spread.
The Jewel strawberry cultivar is a cross of Senga Sengana and NYE58 with Holiday developed at Cornell/NYSAES and released in 1985. Susceptible to leaf spot, red stele, powdery mildew, black root rot and verticillium wilt, these plants are moderately wintered hardy, best grown in full sun in zones 4 to 8. These fruits’ abrasion-resistant skin and firmness make them the best variety for fresh shipping and pick your own operations.
Jewel strawberries are wedge-shaped, large and wide berries known for their high quality and excellent flavour.
7. Seascape Strawberry:
Seascape strawberries are strawberry plants tolerant to several growing conditions and diseases and are an ever-bearing fruit. These fruits feature bright red flesh inside and outside, weighing about two ounces each. This cultivar produces large, conical, bright red berries and is a high yielding day-neutral plant. August and September are the perfect time to get the peak production for this cross between Selva and Douglas, developed at the University of California and released in 1991.
However, regardless of the date you choose to plant, this strawberry fruit variety takes three months to start fruiting once you get it into the ground. This cultivar does the best in zones 4 to 8 and is heat tolerant and resistant to diseases with a height spread of 12 inches by 23 to 36 inches.
8. Tristar Strawberry:
Tristar strawberries are medium-sized strawberries with a prolific growing season. It produces firm, red, lovely and day-neutral berries. These fruits increase production in late summer to fall as they begin production early and continue all summer long. This is a day-neutral variety of strawberries suitable for freezing and fresh eating. These berries come only in medium size: red, very sweet, and conical shape. Their production pattern is the only disadvantage of these strawberries.
Starting the production early, as long as the conditions are tolerable, these fruits produce all summer long. There is an increased production again in the late summer.
9. Sparkle Strawberry:
Sparkle strawberries are the best strawberry tree varieties for the preparation of Jam. These berries ripen late, are medium-sized, and feature juiciness and sweetness. The Sparkle strawberry varieties have been popular for over 60 years and are an extremely vigorous variety. This cultivar needs constant monitoring not to get too thick and produce a high number of runners. There is an extension of the fresh fruit season when you pant the Sparkle strawberries with other earlier varieties. These fruits have excellent flavour and are deep red.
10. Surecrop Strawberry:
Surecrop strawberries produce a dependable and resistant crop, true to their name, with a sweet and tart taste, deep red colour, and yellow seeds. These berries grow under any conditions making them the best fruits for growth. Compared to all the other June-bearers, the Suresrop strawberries produce a good yield. This fruit holds up to shipping because it comes in medium to large sizes with good firmness. Initially, this cultivar has irregular-shaped berries followed by more uniform, short and round, conical strawberries with deeply red throughout and yellow seeds.
See More: World’s Top Weird and Exotic Fruits
Interesting facts about Strawberries:
Here are some of the facts about the red and luscious Strawberries you might find interesting:
- Because they know we can’t wait too long for their fruity goodness, spring is the season Strawberries first ripen.
- On average, a Strawberry has 200 seeds, and it is the only fruit whose outer area has the seeds.
- Strawberries are not berries but fruits, despite their name. Strawberries don’t come from a single ovary and therefore are a group of their own, and berries should have seeds inside, technically speaking.
- Most Strawberries reproduce through runners, but the seeds can grow into new strawberry plants.
- Strawberries grow on bushes and give off a sweet fragrance. They are considered members of the rose family.
- Strawberry plants grow year after year because they are considered perennial. The plants can last up to 5 years once they grow fruits, though they don’t always grow fruit immediately.
- The tabletop method of cultivation of strawberries is growing in popularity. In this method, the fruits are protected from pests and soil-borne diseases by keeping them off the ground.
- Belgium has a museum that is dedicated to strawberries.
- Every single U.S. state and Canadian province grows strawberries.
- Ancient Romans used strawberries to treat depression, fever and sore throats because they believed these fruits had medicinal powers.
- The earliest people to eat strawberries were Native Americans, and they introduced this fruit to the European settlers.
Whether it is good or bad, we all have an experience with strawberries. But with so many strawberry varieties, it might be challenging to know which would taste better. We hope with the different types of strawberries listed in this article, you will be able to choose quickly. Don’t forget to let us know if you found this article helpful!
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this article is based on pure research and not a replacement for professional advice. The website is not responsible for the efficiency and accuracy of the information.
