When to plant / Strawberries
When to plant strawberries
Plant potted strawberries after the last spring frost, and dormant bare-root plants earlier, as soon as the soil can be worked. Across the 39 U.S. cities on this site the frost date that opens the potted-plant window runs from Feb 9 (Sacramento, CA) to May 13 (Concord, NH).
The planting rule for strawberries, in plain words
Two kinds of plant, two rules. For potted plants, University of Minnesota Extension says: Potted plants should be planted soon after purchase after the risk of frost is past.
For dormant bare-root plants, which is how most strawberries are sold, Minnesota says Plant dormant strawberry transplants in spring when the soil is warm enough to easily get a trowel into.
and Utah State adds that there is no need to wait until after the risk of spring frost has passed.
Illinois puts it simply: Strawberries should be planted as soon as the ground can be prepared in the spring.
"As soon as the ground can be worked" is a soil condition, not a frost offset, so no date is computed for bare-root plants here; the table gives each city's frost date as the day the potted-plant rule is satisfied, and bare-root plants go in before it. The flowers are the frost-tender part: Oregon State Extension notes that Frost will injure open strawberry flowers at 30°F.
When the first harvest comes depends on the type: They fruit for the first time the year after planting.
(June-bearers) and Day-neutrals will fruit for the first time in the same year they were planted.
Strawberries: planting dates for 39 U.S. cities
The rule above applied to each station's own NOAA normals, earliest first. City links open that station's full calendar.
| City | Last spring frost (32°F) | Plant |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | Feb 9 | from Feb 9 |
| Houston, TX | Feb 18 | from Feb 18 |
| Austin, TX | Feb 19 | from Feb 19 |
| San Antonio, TX | Mar 1 | from Mar 1 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | Mar 8 | from Mar 8 |
| Seattle, WA | Mar 8 | from Mar 8 |
| Portland, OR | Mar 16 | from Mar 16 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 20 | from Mar 20 |
| Birmingham, AL | Mar 27 | from Mar 27 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Mar 27 | from Mar 27 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 28 | from Mar 28 |
| New York City | Apr 1 | from Apr 1 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Apr 2 | from Apr 2 |
| Louisville, KY | Apr 3 | from Apr 3 |
| Raleigh, NC | Apr 3 | from Apr 3 |
| St. Louis, MO | Apr 3 | from Apr 3 |
| Charlotte, NC | Apr 4 | from Apr 4 |
| Richmond, VA | Apr 4 | from Apr 4 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 6 | from Apr 6 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 6 | from Apr 6 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 12 | from Apr 12 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 16 | from Apr 16 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Apr 16 | from Apr 16 |
| Des Moines, IA | Apr 17 | from Apr 17 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 20 | from Apr 20 |
| Omaha, NE | Apr 21 | from Apr 21 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 21 | from Apr 21 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 22 | from Apr 22 |
| Cleveland, OH | Apr 22 | from Apr 22 |
| Hartford, CT | Apr 24 | from Apr 24 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Apr 24 | from Apr 24 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 25 | from Apr 25 |
| Albany, NY | Apr 28 | from Apr 28 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | Apr 28 | from Apr 28 |
| Portland, ME | May 1 | from May 1 |
| Madison, WI | May 2 | from May 2 |
| Burlington, VT | May 4 | from May 4 |
| Denver, CO | May 6 | from May 6 |
| Concord, NH | May 13 | from May 13 |
3 frost-free stations are left out. Not in the table? The planner takes any pair of frost dates.
Three cities, one rule
- Sacramento, California — last spring frost Feb 9, so plant from Feb 9. 297 frost-free days in all.
- Kansas City, Missouri — last spring frost Apr 12, so plant from Apr 12. 194 frost-free days in all.
- Concord, New Hampshire — last spring frost May 13, so plant from May 13. 140 frost-free days in all.
Questions about planting strawberries
When do I plant bare-root strawberries?
In early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, before the last frost. Utah State Extension notes dormant plants do not need to wait for the frost risk to pass. The frost date in the table (Feb 9 in Sacramento, CA, May 13 in Concord, NH) is a ceiling for bare-root planting, not the start.
When do I plant potted strawberries?
After the risk of frost is past, per University of Minnesota Extension. The table gives each city's 50% last 32°F date as that threshold; in half the years on record the last frost came later, which is the usual argument for waiting a little beyond it.
Will frost kill strawberry plants?
Utah State says dormant bare-root plants need not wait for the frost risk to pass. The flowers are different: Oregon State Extension says frost injures open strawberry flowers at 30°F, so a late frost after bloom is the real risk. Oregon State's answer is a row cover over blooming plants, put on in the late afternoon and taken off in the morning once the frost danger has passed.
When will new strawberries fruit?
Oregon State: June-bearers fruit for the first time the year after planting; day-neutrals fruit in the year they are planted; everbearers give a late-summer crop in the planting year.
Why no fall strawberry date?
The sources used here describe spring planting for home gardens. Utah State describes a mid-to-late-summer planting for June-bearers in an annual hill system, but gives no frost-relative date for it, so none is computed.
Related planting dates
- When to plant tulips — in fall, before the first frost
- When to plant garlic — 1 to 2 weeks after the first fall frost
- When to plant tomatoes — 2 to 4 weeks after the last spring frost
- All crops · calendars by city · cool-season vs warm-season crops
Sources for this page
| Source | Used for | Read |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 | 50% probability last spring and first fall 32°F and 28°F dates for each station | 2026-10-16 |
| Utah State University Extension, How to Grow Strawberries in Your Garden | quoted timing, soil temperature, maturity or depth statements | 2026-10-23 |
| University of Minnesota Extension, Growing strawberries in the home garden | quoted timing, soil temperature, maturity or depth statements | 2026-10-23 |
| Oregon State University Extension, EC 1307 Growing Strawberries in Your Home Garden | quoted timing, soil temperature, maturity or depth statements | 2026-10-23 |
| University of Illinois Extension, Growing Strawberries | quoted timing, soil temperature, maturity or depth statements | 2026-10-23 |
Every date in the table is arithmetic on the station's NOAA normal and the offset stated by the source; the quoted sentences are the only figures on this page that are not computed. Normals are 30-year averages and describe the station, not your yard. Rules checked 2026-10-23; see the methodology page.