Growing strawberry
Fragaria × ananassa · also called strawberryStrawberry is a low, herbaceous fruit plant raised from runners, easy to grow in beds and pots. In the hills it is a perennial; in the plains it is grown as a winter crop, planted in autumn and picked in late winter and spring.
East coast: coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra, coastal Odisha
Not a crop for this region
Hot and humid all year, with no cool season long enough for strawberry to flower and fruit well.
Where it grows nearest
South interior: Bengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil Nadu
See the South interior guideDeccan plateau: interior Maharashtra, Telangana, north Karnataka
See the Deccan plateau guide
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Not suited here
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
- Not suited here
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East coast | Not suited here | |||
| Temperate Himalaya | August to September | April to June | ||
| Cold desertUnder cover only | Under cover: April to May | Under cover: July to September | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | October to November | February to April | ||
| North-west plains | Mid-October | Mid-January to March (Winter Dawn)Early February to early April (Chandler) | ||
| Gangetic plains | October to mid-November | January to March | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | Mid-September to October | February to April | ||
| Arid west | October | January to March | ||
| Central plateau | October | January to March | ||
| Deccan plateau | Second half of October | December to April | ||
| South interior | September to November | January to May | ||
| West coast | Not suited here | |||
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2,3
5.8 to 6.5
Well-drained, friable loam or medium sandy loam rich in organic matter, with a subsoil that holds moisture. Most roots stay in the top 15 to 20 cm. Heavy, clayey and waterlogged soils do not suit it. Gentle slopes suit it well.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the East coast, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun. Give beds and pots at least six hours of direct sun a day.
Temperature2,1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 15 to 26 °C
Takes light frost.
Monthly temperatures for the East coast aren't in the library yet.
Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the East coast, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Strawberry is not grown from saved seed: seedlings do not come true. Keep healthy mother plants and root their runners instead.
When the seed is ready
A runner is ready to lift when it has its own roots and two or three leaves.
Plant runners soon after lifting. Raised runners can be kept in polybags until planting.
After the last picking1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
In the plains, pull out the plants after the last picking, since they do not survive the summer. Compost healthy plants; burn or bin plants with root rot.
Rotation
Do not replant strawberry on land where it grew recently: black root rot builds up in the soil.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of practices for fruit crops 2020: strawberryDirectorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
- Strawberry (crop report)National Horticulture BoardRead the source
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