| Which varieties of Strawberries would you recommend for this Northeast area of Texas (Tyler vicinity)? |
| The best variety depends on the system you use to grow strawberries. There are two systems for growing strawberries in your area. The annual system involves planting in early October and removing plants in late May after harvest ends. This system produces the most berries and requires the least work and spraying. The second sytem is the traditional perennial or "matted row" system. It involves planting in October or March and maintaining the patch as a perennial bed by rotilling the rows to 8" wide every year after harvest. The berries then produce runners which reestablish a "matted row" of plants for the following year's production. The drawbacks to this system are that you have to fight bugs, diseases and weeds through the long hot summer, and the patch is less productive in most cases. The top producing strawberry for your area when planted in the annual system will be 'Chandler'. Other good choices are 'Camerosa' and 'Sweet Charlie'. For the perennial system try 'Cardinal' or 'Honeyoye'. |
