Picking the right varieties is a key decision for strawberry growers. The problem is, while there are many varieties to choose from, only a small portion of them will meet the needs of an individual farm in terms of hardiness, yield, disease resistance, berry size, flavor, and appearance.

In northern climates with cold winter temperatures, hardiness is a priority. Disease resistance is a priority on farms that have grown berries for many years with limited land for rotation, or on farms that have heavy, wetter soils. For many pick-your own farms, flavor is at the top of the list. Wholesale growers need firm fruit. And of course, most growers want to have berries for as long a possible over the relatively short ‘strawberry season’.

Summer-bearing varieties of strawberry produce fruit in June, and into July as you go north. Their flower buds are largely initiated the year before, when days are short in the fall. Day-neutral varieties are not as widely grown, in part because they take a lot of management to keep them flowering and fruiting and throughout the growing season, and in part because demand tends to drop off after the ‘normal’ strawberry season.

Ultimately, you have to grow a berry variety on your own farm to see if it has the blend of characteristics that you, and your customers, want. It makes sense to test varieties on a small scale before making large plantings. The following variety descriptions are adapted from articles by Dr. Courtney Weber, Cornell University and Dr. David Handley, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Note that local climate, soil type and production practices can influence the traits described, so performance from farm to farm may differ.

    Early Season Varieties.

Earliglow is one of the best tasting berries. Primary berries are large and attractive and suitable for retail or wholesale. The fruit is firm with excellent flavor and color, but because berry weight drops off quickly after the primary berries, yields are relatively low especially in northern New England. Plants are vigorous runner producers and are resistant to red stele root rot and to Verticillium wilt.

Mohawk ripens very early with high quality fruit that has good flavor. Yields may be low in the Northeast. Plants are vigorous, produce many runners and are resistant to red stele and Verticillium.

Sable is a relatively new variety. The flavor is very good, but the fruit is soft. Plants are vigorous, with some resistance to red stele. Sable is slightly earlier than Earliglow and is equal or better in flavor but it lacks firmness so it’s only suitable for direct retail and u-pick operations. Reports differ on fruit size. Frost damage can be a problem because the flowers open very early. Sable is a good substitute for Earliglow in northern New England.

Veestar is a popular Canadian variety that is very productive with good flavor, but fruit tends to be soft with small fruit size after the initial picking. Plants are vigorous but have no know resistance to red stele or Verticillium.

Northeaster has large, firm fruit with strong flavor that some people may not like. Yield is good for an early variety. Runner production is not strong but plants are vigorous and perform well on heavy soils, with resistance to red stele and Verticillium. Northeaster outperforms Earliglow in all ways except flavor.

    Early Mid-Season Varieties.

Honeoye has been popular for many years because it produces high yields of large, attractive, firm, berries that are suitable for all markets. The taste can be too tart for some people and can get disagreeable when overripe or grown on heavy soils. It is susceptible to red stele disease and has no know resistance to Verticillium. Plants are vigorous and produce many runners.

Annapolis has large fruit with good flavor and color, although somewhat soft. Plants are very vigorous and free-running, with resistance to red stele.

Cornwallis is very productive with medium-sized fruit with good flavor and color. Plants are vigorous, produce runners freely and are resistant to red stele.

Mira produces large, light-red fruit with good quality. Plants have high yield potential and are vigorous with some resistance to red stele root rot and leaf diseases.

Brunswick is a newer variety with fruit weight and yield similar to Honeoye. However, its fruit has a squat, round shape and they tend to be dark and bruise easily. The flavor is good but can be tart when under ripe.

Cavendish produces high yields in a good year of large firm fruit with good flavor. High temperature during ripening can cause uneven ripening and a marketing problem. Plants are moderately vigorous with resistance to red stele and Verticillium.

Darselect is a large fruited, high yielding variety. The berries are attractive, uniform and bright red with a long conical shape, and may be somewhat soft. The flavor is very good. The plants are very susceptible to foliar diseases.

Kent produces medium to large berries with very good flavor. Yields are excellent but tend to decline after a year or two. Hot weather can cause skin toughness to deteriorate. It is very susceptible to gray mold, leaf scorch and angular leaf spot and sensitive to Sinbar herbicide. It does not do well in hot weather. No known resistance to red stele or verticillium.

L'Amour (NY1829) is a new variety for 2004. It produces berries that are bright red and firm but not hard, with excellent eating quality and flavor. Fruit is long round-conical in shape with a fancy calyx, which makes them very attractive. No known resistance to red stele or Verticillium

    Late Mid-Season Varieties.

Jewel continues to be popular because it has large, glossy, attractive fruit with firm texture and good flavor. Yields are moderate to good. On the right site, it's hard to beat. It is susceptible to red stele and can have vigor problems in poor or cold sites.

Mesabi is a very high yielding variety with medium-large berries and good flavor, but does not store well. It is resistant to red stele and tolerant to leaf spot and powdery mildew. It comes out of Minnesota and has excellent cold tolerance.

Allstar berries are large, rough with mild, sweet flavor. The plants are vigorous, make runners freely and yield well. Berry color is pale red to slightly orange and may be unacceptable to some consumers. Can perform well in heavy soils as it is resistant to red stele and Verticillium.

Seneca is one of the firmest varieties available for the northeast. The fruit is large, bright red and attractive but the flavor is mild and only acceptable. It does not runner heavily and can be adapted to plasticulture. Fruit shape can be somewhat irregular. Plants are only moderately vigorous and have no resistance to red stele or Verticillium.

Sparkle has excellent flavored fruit, but they are dark red and somewhat soft. Fruit size is only fair and tends to decrease as season progresses. Plants are vigorous, copious runner producers with some resistance to red stele.

Mic Mac produces good yields of large, light red fruit, firm. Plants are vigorous and produce many runners but have no know resistance to red stele or Verticillium.

Winona has very large, firm berries and average yields but fruit are not as attractive as Jewel. It has good vigor and can be useful where Jewel does poorly. It comes from Minnesota and has very good cold tolerance. Moderately vigorous plants with resistance to red stele root rot and tolerance of most leaf diseases.

    Late Season Varieties.

Cabot produces very large berries, with an average fruit weight greater than any variety currently available. The color can be pale throughout the berry and primary berries are often irregular in shape. Plants require high fertility to maintain vigor. Yields are average to high. It is resistant to red stele but is susceptible to gray mold, virus infection and cyclamen mites.

Clancy (NYUS304B) is a new release. It has parents that are resistant to red stele. The fruit is round-conical shaped with darker red color and good flavor. The flesh is very firm with good texture and eating quality. The fruiting laterals are strong and stiff, keeping the fruit off the ground until they reach full size. No known resistance to Verticillium or red stele.

Lateglow has medium to large, bright red, attractive fruit that are firm with good flavor. Plants only moderately vigorous, but resistant to red stele and Verticillium. May lack adequate hardiness for northern New England.

    Day Neutral Varieties.

Everest is a fairly new variety with large, firm, bright red berries. It does not runner well and is only suited for plasticulture. Over-wintering can be a problem.

Seascape is out of California and seeing some success in the east. The fruit is large and very attractive. It is firm and good quality. It does not runner and is only suited for plasticulture. Overwintering can be a problem.

Tribute and Tristar have been the standard day neutral varieties for the northeast for the last 20 years. They are disease resistant, vigorous, and runner enough for matted row production. Both are relatively small fruited and low yielding but if you have a good market of off-season fruit they may pay off. Of the two, Tribute has better size and Tristar has better flavor.