Strawberry cultivars for Western Oregon and Washington

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), resulted from a cross between two wild strawberry species: Fragaria virginiana (meadow strawberry), which is native throughout much of North America, and Fragaria chiloensis, which is native to the Pacific coast of North and South America. Colonists in eastern North America sent the meadow strawberry, F. virginiana, back to Europe. A French spy, who was also a botanist, was monitoring the Spanish in Chile and brought plants of F. chiloensis, which had been improved greatly by native South Americans, back to Europe. By chance or design, the two species crossed, and the offspring became the cultivated strawberry we know today.

This publication briefly describes the main types of cultivated strawberries. Tables 1 and 2 list cultivars within each type that are adapted to conditions west of the Cascades.

June-bearing strawberries

The primary type of strawberry is the June-bearing strawberry (also known as 'short-day' strawberry). These cultivars are sometimes referred to as short-day strawberries because they initiate flower buds the previous summer/fall as the days become shorter. This type of strawberry is commonly grown in perennial matted rows, where runners are encouraged to root within the row each year to establish productive crowns for the following year.

Many California-developed June-bearing strawberry cultivars are available. However, many of these cultivars, including ‘Camarosa’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Camino Real’, ‘Gaviota’, ‘Lassen’, ‘Tioga’, ‘Torrey’, ‘Tufts’, and ‘Ventana’, are not good choices for the Pacific Northwest. The plants tend to be short-lived, not very productive, and have poor fruit quality. June-bearing cultivars are listed in Table 1.

Everbearing strawberries

As people noticed that some types of strawberries bore small fall crops in addition to a spring crop, breeders and hobbyists began selecting for this trait. The result was everbearing strawberries, such as ‘Ft. Laramie’, ‘Gem’, ‘Ogallala’, ‘Ozark Beauty’, ‘Quinault’, and ‘Rockhill’. Everbearing strawberries tend to have large spring and fall crops, with little fruit in between. While there are everbearing cultivars adapted to our region, they are not recommended, as day-neutral cultivars perform better for both commercial production and home gardeners.

Day-neutral strawberries

In the 1970s, day-neutral (remontant) strawberries were developed at the University of California. Day-neutral strawberries flower throughout the growing season as long as temperatures are below 90°F. Periods of hot weather will cause a temporary gap in fruit production. Day-neutral strawberries do not produce as many runners as the other types, so they are usually grown commercially with plastic mulch in a hill system, where runners as removed to maintain individual plants. This type of strawberry can be grown in annual or perennial production systems. Cultivars are listed in Table 2.

Distinguishing between everbearing and day-neutral cultivars can be confusing for the home gardener. Day-neutral cultivars are “everbearing,” whereas the old everbearing cultivars produce two distinct crops—one in the spring and one in the fall. Furthermore, both day-neutral and everbearing cultivars are usually sold as “everbearing” in retail nurseries.

Fragaria vesca (Alpine) strawberries

Fragaria vesca (fraises des bois or woods strawberry) is also commonly found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Many “alpine strawberries” have been developed from this species. Cultivars include ‘Alpine’, ‘Baron Solemacher’, and ‘Ruegen’. Plants are moderately vigorous but have poor durability because they are highly susceptible to viruses (these cultivars often are used as virus indicators). Berries are small, with a bright red external color and pale internal color. They are soft, very aromatic, and have a mild flavor. Berries are suitable only for fresh use. Yields are low, and commercial value is limited.

Cultivar table notes

Tables 1 and 2 list June-bearing and day-neutral strawberry cultivars that are adapted to conditions west of the Cascades. Most of these cultivars are not adapted to colder regions in the Pacific Northwest. In colder regions, choose cultivars that grow well in the Midwest or eastern United States, including ‘Allstar’, ‘Jewel’, ‘Honeoye’, ‘Earliglow’, ‘Clancy’, ‘Lateglow’, ‘Annapolis’, and ‘Cavendish’ (June-bearing) or ‘Monterey’, ‘San Andreas’, ‘Tristar’, and ‘Tribute’ (day-neutral).

Not all of the listed cultivars are available in nurseries.

Durability

Durability refers to how long-lived a cultivar might be in the field. Plant viruses and other diseases, particularly root rot, can shorten the productive life of a planting. Some cultivars, such as ‘Hood’, often bear for only one or two years, whereas others, such as ‘Tillamook’, often produce for several years.

Fruit descriptions and yield

Descriptions of yield, flavor and berry size are primarily based on results of trials by the USDA-ARS/OSU cooperative breeding program at the Oregon State University North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, Oregon, and the Washington State University breeding program in Puyallup, Washington. If a cultivar has not been tested at these sites, yield and berry descriptions are based on grower experience. Yield ratings are based on comparison to other cultivars of the same type.

Fruit traits, particularly flavor, can vary tremendously based on location (because of differences in temperature and rainfall), cultural practice and, of course, personal preference.

“Ease of capping” refers to how easily the fruit pick without the cap or calyx — an important trait for processing.

Commercial production

A commercial value score is provided to help commercial growers select appropriate cultivars for fresh and processed markets:

1. Appropriate for most commercial operations
2. May have commercial value, but:
   • Not enough is known about its performance or
   • May meet a specific requirement (such as unique color or early harvest) but has a negative trait (such as low yield or poor shipping quality)
3. Unlikely to have good commercial value

Small farm, U-pick and home gardens

Cultivars that are well-suited to small farms, local sales, U-pick farms and home gardens are noted as such.

What if you find a cultivar that's not on these lists?

Find out as much about it as you can:

• Is it June-bearing (short-day), everbearing or day-neutral?
• Does the nursery's description indicate that it's susceptible to any diseases, such as root rot or viruses?
• What's the fruit like?

Remember: If you purchase a cultivar that is not on these lists, it probably hasn't been extensively tested in this region. It's best to try a few plants first and see how well they grow and how you like the fruit.

For more information

• Growing strawberries in your home garden (EC 1307). Oregon State University Extension.
• Growing day-neutral strawberries in Western Washington (FS132E). Washington State University Extension.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Ted Mackey, of USDA-ARS, Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt, of Washington State University, and Julie Pond, of Northwest Berry Foundation, for their contributions to this publication.