What you need to know.
The most important thing I learned about growing strawberries in NC is that fall planting works far better than spring planting. Most people think of strawberries as a spring crop and assume you plant them in spring, but bareroot crowns planted in September and October here in Zone 7b spend the whole winter building strong root systems, and they reward you with a much bigger harvest the following May than spring-planted ones do.
I grow Earliglow (a June-bearing variety that ripens in early May here in Apex — hence the name) and Albion (an everbearing type that produces smaller flushes of fruit from spring through fall). Earliglow has the best flavor of any strawberry I have ever grown — possibly the best flavor of anything in my entire garden. Chandler and Camarosa are also excellent June-bearing choices for NC.
"The first four Earliglow strawberries of the year, still warm from the sun on March 28th, are always the best strawberries of the entire year. Something about the slow cool ripening."
Step by step.
Plant bareroot crowns in September or October in Zone 7b, with the crown (the nubby center where leaves emerge) right at soil level — not buried, not sitting above the soil surface. Too deep rots the crown. Too shallow dries it out. The crown must be exactly at soil level.
Pinch off every flower that forms in the first year of planting. This is painful but essential — letting the plant fruit in year one significantly weakens it and reduces future harvests. One full season of root-building without fruiting results in dramatically larger yields for years two, three, and four.
Drape bird netting over plants as soon as berries start showing color. Birds will strip ripe strawberries in hours. I use wire hoops to hold the netting above the plants and clip it at ground level so birds cannot get underneath.
When to plant in Zone 7b.
Plant in September and October in Zone 7b for best results. Earliglow strawberries ripen in our area starting in late April and running through May. Everbearing types like Albion give smaller pickings from spring through October.
Refresh strawberry beds every 3 to 4 years by starting a new bed with fresh certified plants — old beds become overcrowded and disease-prone. I start new plants from runners off my best existing plants, which saves buying new crowns and keeps the best-performing genetics.
Problems I ran into.
Gray mold (botrytis) is the biggest strawberry problem in NC — soft grayish-fuzzy rot that starts on ripe or damaged berries and spreads to neighboring fruit fast in humid conditions. Pick every day at peak ripeness and remove any soft or damaged fruit immediately. Good air circulation between plants helps prevent it from getting established.
Birds are a constant battle. Netting is the only reliable solution I have found. Fake owls, reflective tape, and pinwheels slowed them down for about a week before they figured it out. Real netting, properly secured at the edges, actually works.
What I make with it.
A ripe Earliglow strawberry eaten warm from the garden in early May is one of my top five favorite foods in the world. The flavor is completely different from grocery store strawberries — much more intense and genuinely sweet without any sourness.
I slice them over yogurt, blend them into smoothies, and sometimes just eat them plain with a tiny bit of cream. Browse the recipes page for more of what I do with strawberries.