Cultivating Strawberries in a Home's Backyard Vegetable Patch

Growing Strawberries in Ohio: A Guide to Choosing the Best Cultivars

Strawberries are a delightful addition to any home garden, offering a bountiful harvest and a versatile fruit that's perfect for fresh eating, baking, and preserving. In Ohio, where USDA zones 5-6 prevail, choosing the right strawberry cultivars can make all the difference in your gardening success. Here's a guide to help you select the best strawberry cultivars for your Ohio home garden.

Key Factors to Consider

When choosing strawberry cultivars, consider the following factors: ripening season, yield, berry size, freezing quality, and dessert quality. Ohio's climate, with its moderate temperatures and distinct seasons, influences cultivar suitability.

Recommended Strawberry Cultivars

| Cultivar | Ripening Season | Yield | Berry Size | Freezing Quality | Dessert Quality | Suitability Notes | |------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Albion | Everbearing | High (1-3 pints per plant) | Large, firm | Excellent | Excellent for fresh eating, pies, preserves, and freezing | Zone 4-8; disease resistance incl. verticillium wilt; grows well in Ohio climate[4] | | Chandler | June-bearing | Large, firm berries | Large, glossy | Good | Popular for fresh eating and processing | Good mid to late season variety, excellent for backyard gardens[1] | | Honeoye | Mid-season | Moderate to high | Medium to large | Good | Good taste, suitable for fresh use | Popular in Ohio and northern climates for reliable yields[1] | | Jewel | Early season | Good | Medium | Good | Highly rated dessert quality | Known for excellent flavor and early harvest in Ohio[5] | | Tribute | Day-neutral | Moderate | Medium | Fair to good | Good for fresh eating | Can produce fruit throughout the growing season in containers or garden[3] | | Evie 2 | Day-neutral | Moderate | Medium | Good | Good flavor; more compact plants for container growing | Suitable for extended harvests, including Ohio home gardens[3] |

Understanding the Cultivars

Ripening Season: June-bearing varieties like 'Chandler' and 'Jewel' provide concentrated harvests in early summer, while everbearing and day-neutral like 'Albion' and 'Evie 2' produce fruit multiple times from spring through fall, which is convenient for continuous fresh harvests.
Yield & Size: 'Albion' and 'Chandler' are among the highest yielding with large berries, suitable if you want large volumes or bigger fruit for fresh eating and freezing.
Freezing Quality: 'Albion' is prized for freezing along with fresh eating. June-bearing types like 'Jewel' also freeze well.
Dessert Quality: Most recommended cultivars have good to excellent flavor for eating fresh, baking, and preserves.
Disease Resistance: Albion offers resistance to verticillium wilt, a common strawberry soil-borne disease, which is advantageous in Ohio’s climate.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil are essential. Container growing is feasible with varieties like 'Tribute' and 'Evie 2' and appropriate pot size and care[3].

Summary

For Ohio home gardens, Albion is an excellent versatile choice with multiple harvests and high quality for fresh and frozen use. For a traditional June-bearing crop, Chandler, Honeoye, and Jewel are solid picks based on yield, size, and taste. For extended harvests or container gardening, Tribute or Evie 2 work well[1][3][4][5].

By understanding the ripening season, yield, berry size, freezing quality, and dessert quality of suggested cultivars, you can select cultivars according to your personal needs. Home fruit growers have a large number of cultivars to select from, with a greater selection for June-bearing types than for day-neutral types. Happy gardening!