Thousands of strawberry varieties are cultivated worldwide, with dozens in Europe alone.🌎 Why so many? Simply put, there is no one perfect variety that combines all advantages without any disadvantages. Each strawberry variety, without exception, has its pros and cons. For instance, if a variety is known for its excellent taste, high yield, and post-harvest durability, it often may lack in winter hardiness and disease resistance. Moreover, different varieties bear fruit at different times.🍓
Who can say which variety is better: early or late?🧐
Therefore, choosing the right varieties is not straightforward. It all depends on our preferences. For example, if we like making jams or cooking compotes, we should plant the old, reliable variety Senga Sengana, unmatched in processing parameters (very sweet and aromatic, dark in cross-section, easy stem removal, high yielding, thrives in sandy soils, frost-resistant, etc.).👍
If we’re not interested in processed products but rather in the taste and beauty of the fruits, we recommend cultivating one of the dessert varieties like Honeoye, Polka, or Korona, which are standards acclimatized to Central European conditions, or trying some novelties from warmer countries.
We, professional growers who live off strawberry cultivation, dislike risks. We believe it’s safest to plant varieties we’re confident will overwinter in our conditions without significant losses. However, we must differentiate two issues: while professionals planting various Californian, Italian, or Southern Spanish “inventions” risk a lot (hectares, hundreds of thousands of seedlings), amateurs planting no more than a dozen or so seedlings of a given variety don’t necessarily. After all, someone has to test new varieties for their winter hardiness😃.
It’s worth remembering that the selection of new strawberry varieties in all countries focuses on their attractiveness, meaning taste, beauty, durability, yield, tolerance to specific pathogens, etc. For instance, if a new variety that significantly outperforms others because it features huge, incredibly sweet fruits with exceptional durability and amazing gloss is introduced in Southern Italy or Spain, it might be worth (for amateur cultivation) taking a risk and planting it in your garden, because if it succeeds, the neighbors will be green with envy😂. Remember, amateur strawberry cultivation usually doesn’t occur in open fields exposed to strong gusts of cold winds but most often in sheltered places protected by buildings, trees, or hedges. In such conditions, the chance of successful overwintering is significantly higher than in the “middle of nowhere,” especially since we have access to one of the most spectacular inventions of recent years in our industry – <b>white agrotextile</b>, available in every gardening store.
Strawberries from this group of varieties are often used to plant various containers (balcony boxes, large pots, or hanging baskets), and in this form, they can serve as a unique decoration for balconies and terraces, especially since, unlike ornamental flowers, they are edible🙂
In our farm, you will find potted seedlings of leading strawberry varieties.
Just visit: www.strawberry-plants.ie🤩
