Guide
Harvesting strawberries and managing runners
Strawberries need picking every one to two days at peak season. Missing a day can mean rotting fruit and a signal to the plant to slow down.
When to pick
Pick when the fruit is fully red all over, including around the calyx at the top. A partially red strawberry will not ripen further once removed from the plant - unlike tomatoes, they do not continue to colour after picking. The fruit should come away easily with a gentle upward twist of the stem. Fruit that resists is not quite ready.
How often to check
In warm weather at the height of the season, check plants every one to two days. Strawberries ripen quickly and go from perfect to overripe or mouldy within a day or two in warm, humid conditions. Ripe fruit left on the plant also attracts slugs, wasps, and grey mould, which spreads to neighbouring fruit.
Remove damaged fruit promptly
Any fruit showing grey mould (botrytis) - grey fuzzy growth, usually starting at the tip - should be removed immediately and binned, not composted. Botrytis spreads rapidly in damp conditions. Improving airflow by removing straw from around plants in wet spells and thinning congested foliage reduces risk.
Runners
Strawberry plants send out runners - long horizontal stems with small plantlets - during and after fruiting. Left unchecked, these root into the bed and compete with the parent plant. For established beds, remove runners as they appear to keep plants vigorous. If you want new plants, peg one or two runners per parent plant into small pots of compost, let them root (four to six weeks), then sever from the parent.
After the main crop
Once the main fruiting flush is over, tidy the plants by cutting back old foliage to about 10 cm from the crown. Remove all the old straw or matting from around plants. This opens up the crown to sunlight, removes slug habitat, and encourages new leaves for next year. Feed with a balanced fertiliser. Strawberry beds are typically most productive in their second and third year.
Relevant to
Related guides
Identifying and responding to crop problems
Catching problems early is the most effective intervention. Most issues follow recognisable patterns - knowing what to look for saves crops.
Dealing with slugs
Slugs cause the most damage at night and in wet conditions. A few targeted habits will cut losses without needing chemicals.