Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F
Allstar strawberry plants, Fragaria 'Allstar', are a June-bearing variety that produces consistently large, light colored strawberries year after year. Allstar is very disease resistant and extremely hardy. Allstar strawberry plants bear in late midseason and produce large, sweet and juicy berries. The best strawberry for canning and freezing. Frost resistant. Excellent flavor with fruit that is big, firm, sweet, extra juicy and red.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
A healthy strawberry patch requires at least six hours of sunlight per day. Strawberries are perennial, winter hardy, and will thrive in full sunshine, as long as the soil is fertile and well drained. Good draining soil is required for optimal strawberry production.

Plant strawberries as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. This is usually from early March to April (depending on your location) allowing the plants to become well established before the hot weather arrives. Do not work the soil if it is wet. Wait a few days until it dries.

Allstar Strawberry is a 'June-bearing' strawberry so the "Matted Row System" is the best planting method. In this system, the strawberry plants should be set eighteen to thirty inches apart in rows three to four feet apart. Daughter plants are allowed to root freely to become a matted row no wider than two feet.

When planting, set the strawberry plant in the soil so that the soil is just covering the tops of the roots. Do not cover the crown. After four or five weeks, the plants will produce runners and new daughter plants.

Important: Do not plant strawberries where peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes have been grown. These plants could harbor verticillium wilt, a serious strawberry disease.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Feeding
Before planting apply one pound per 100 square feet of a 10-10-10 fertilizer and dig into soil at least six to eight inches deep. Alternatively, you can use an organic fertilizer. I do.

After the first harvest in the second season strawberries should be fertilized after renovation in July. Water the fertilizer in to get it down to the root zone. This application is made to keep the plants in a vigorous condition and to promote new growth causing the development of more fruit buds. Do not over fertilize. Overfertilization will cause excessive vegetative growth, reduce yields and increase losses from frost and foliar disease and result in winter injury.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
After strawberry plants have finished producing for the season it's a good idea to clean the plant up a bit.