Looking to try your hand at gardening, or trying to grow a fruit variety in Arkansas?
Or perhaps you’re a big fan of strawberries with a green thumb?
Then there is a round-up of the best varieties of strawberries you can cultivate in Arkansas.
Strawberries are an American staple.
The sweet red fruit is enjoyed freshly picked, preserved as jams and jellies, or incorporated into many desserts like pies, tarts, and ice cream among many.
What is the easiest strawberry to grow?
The Sweet Kiss variety is the most beginner-friendly variety you can grow in Arkansas.
When should I plant strawberries in Arkansas?
The best time to plant strawberries in early spring.
Strawberries are susceptible to cold and frost. The fragile strawberry blossoms can easily wither and die if exposed to frost.
That is why it is best to wait until winter has thawed and welcomed a little warmth.
When the temperature rises to 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, it creates the perfect environment for strawberries to grow.
What month is best to plant strawberries?
So early to mid-April is the ideal time to plant strawberries.
But if the weather is indulgent, you can even plant them as early as March.
Do strawberries grow well in Arkansas?
Among all the small fruit cultivated in the US, strawberries are the most widely grown.
They easily adapt to most climates and soil conditions.
They are also well suited for home gardens or mass production, depending on the variety you choose.
Thus they can be successfully grown all over Arkansas, especially if you keep in mind some key points such as the ones that follow.
Strawberries prefer fertile, sandy loam soil with a pH of 5.7 to 6.5.
They require well-fertilized soil that has functioning drainage.
Make sure the soil is well prepared for an optimum fruit yield.
If you’re growing them in an area susceptible to frost, opt for higher grounds.
If you are struggling with grub and ants, chemical control may be necessary.
The crop should be adequately spaced.
The plant grows well if they are planted 24 inches apart in a row 3 feet apart.
Cover the roots well and pack them with soil to avoid having any air pockets that may dry out the roots.
Which variety of strawberries is best?
The best varieties of strawberries that can be grown in Arkansas are:
Delmarvel
Delmarvel strawberries are fully ripe somewhere around mid-season.
This variety produces many runners.
It also vigorously provides fruit of excellent flavor and quality.
Most of all it is disease resistant.
Eversweet
For Arkansas gardeners, it doesn’t get any better than Eversweet strawberries.
This variety of berries is highly resistant to heat and disease as well.
These strawberries can safely survive temperatures up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit!
The plant grows up to two feet wide and produces a high yield of sizeable berries of outstanding quality.
Earliglow
The Earligrow strawberries have been the favored variety of strawberries for the longest time.
They are a fast-growing variety that bears plenty of berries throughout the season.
The size of the fruit ranges from small to medium and they are known for their glossy, deep red appearance.
They have a sweet flavor perfect for jam, preserves, and other desserts.
The only con is their small size.
Noreaster
If you’re looking to plant some strawberries that are disease resistant and bear a large fruit when fully ripe, go for Noreaster strawberries.
These strawberries are red stele root rot resistant and produce a large and firm berry.
They ripen just after Earliglow
It is richly fragrant when fully ripe and has a strong mature flavor that allows these strawberries to keep flavor even when stored.
It is recommended that you should grow these strawberries if you plan to freeze them but they are equally delicious when eaten fresh.
Cardinal
This is another productive variety that produces large fruit with a deep flavor.
It ripens seven to ten days after Earliglow but the ripening process itself is completed in about three to four weeks.
Their pleasing red color and the easily removable green cap that sits atop make it a useful variety to be used for freezing or dessert making.
This specific variety was developed at the University of Arkansas to fit the bill of a strawberry that had an attractive color, great flavor, and was also disease resistant.
Lateglow
The last of the berries to bloom are the Lateglow.
However, the fruit is big, juicy, and aromatic.
What berries grow well in Arkansas?
Other berries that grow well in Arkansas’ climate and soil are blackberry, blueberry, grape, muscadine, raspberry, and strawberry.
All these small fruits can be grown in their Natural State with no trouble.