| Would Strawberries Grow In this Climate in Arizona? If So what Kind would be best? |
| Yes, strawberries do grow here. For varieties, Chandler and Camarosa did well in a University of AZ Cooperative Extension trial conducted in the Phoenix area a few years ago. Camarosa had bigger fruit; Chandler had sweeter fruit, but they bruised more easily. October has been the traditional planting month for berries in the low desert, as they have time to develop root systems and foliage before the heat of summer. In this particular trial, they also planted in late August, and found that those plants actually bore more fruit than the October plantings, probably because they had more time to develop root systems. Berries were harvested from mid-March to mid-May. The plants grew well during the summer, but produced many runners, and the flavor and sugar quantity of fruit in the 2nd year was not as high. The fruit was also more difficult to harvest because of the great amounts of foliage. In the home garden, the researchers recommended removing the runners to start them in a second bed. Other varieties that perform in the low desert are Tioga and Sequoia. |
