Reason #3,895 To Live in Southern California: Strawberry Fields Forever

Mary in Southern California has herself a strawberry plant (good call – California leads the U.S. in strawberry production). Not too long ago, she wrote to us on Facebook:

We’ve got great news! Strawberries are perennials, so they’ll keep fruiting for more than two years. Healthy plants should live about three to five years, actually. Because Mary lives in such a lovely climate, she has the option of enjoying fresh strawberries year-round, depending on the variety of she has chosen to grow. Strawberry plants are sometimes grouped by their photoperiodicity (their reaction to the length of day or night). Day-neutral strawberries, also called everbearers, will flower and produce fruit all year, although the most berries will pop spring through fall. Short-day varietals require less sun and heat than long-day varietals; they will produce fall through early spring while long-day will produce the most as the days get longer (spring and summer in the northern hemisphere). There is a difference in the fruit produced between the varietals. Strawberries that are produced in cooler weather tend to be firmer than warm-weather berries, though some people say that warm-weather berries have greater flavor.

What say you, Sprouts? Can you taste the difference between strawberries based on their photoperiodicity? Convince us here, on Facebook or Twitter.

12 years ago  /  3 notes Tweet