If you live in the Arizona lowlands and want to grow strawberries, you're in the right place.
These are my absolute favorite thing to grow in the garden. I treat strawberries like most gardeners treat tomatoes... the holy grail!
Can You Grow Strawberries in Arizona?
Yes, growing strawberries in Arizona is possible! I've done it and am here to tell you all about how to grow your own AZ strawberries, despite the climate.
Berries are one thing we really miss in the desert. You just can't really grow a blueberry or raspberry bush in this climate (unless it's a container variety you bring indoors for the summer, or you live at high elevation).
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Having grown up in the Northeast before moving to Arizona, sometimes I really miss being able to walk out the door and go pick a fresh bowl of black cap raspberries.
Thankfully, strawberries are one of the few "berries" we CAN grow in the desert! Though they aren't really a berry at all, they do quite well here unlike canes and berry patches.
Growing strawberries in the desert is a great joy, and I'm excited for you to give it a try yourself as well!
Potential Issues Growing Strawberries in AZ
Growing strawberries in the desert is quite possible, though difficult. Some issues can arise and need to be taken into account:
- Summers are harsh and strawberries often die. You'll likely have to restart each year or bring them indoors for the late-summer. You could also grow them in containers and bring them inside each summer if you prefer
- Strawberries will need to be mulched heavily to help retain moisture
- They will need frequent watering in the early-summer
- Strawberries may respond poorly to the salt content and pH of native soil (as many plants do here) so plan on building some great soil first.
How to Grow Strawberries in Arizona
When to Plant Strawberries in Arizona
Plant bare-root strawberries in the AZ low desert from mid-September through February.
If you're growing from seed instead, tack on quite a few months before the fall/winter. They take a long time to germinate and forever to get up to any kind of size in the beginning.
Shown here flowering in early-July.
If you're in the Sonoran low desert, you can expect strawberries to ripen up in May and be ready for picking before June. Seasons move fast here, and June heat can be ROUGH on strawberries.
The alpine strawberries in this photo made it into early-July in Tucson in a corner with limited sun, but just barely. They succumbed to heat and bugs before the end of July.
If you berries aren't coming indoors with you for the summer, there's very little chance they'll survive through the whole thing. Get your plants out early to maximize harvests before late-summer killing heat takes them.
Strawberry Varieties for Arizona
Let's talk about some of the strawberry varieties that will grow well for you in AZ:
- Quinault
- Camarosa
- Sequoia
- Chandler
- Tioga
Tips for Growing Strawberries in Arizona
Remember to mulch your strawberries! This will shade and cool the soil, while locking in moisture that's so desperately needed in the desert.
Mulch will also break down and eventually feed the soil, which in turn will feed your strawberries.
Though quite resilient once they are established, strawberries are quite frail when young.
Bare-root strawberries give you a great jump on things, but you may also start strawberries from seed if you're up for the challenge - keep reading.
How to Start Strawberries From Seed
I should caution you that starting strawberries from seed is NOT for the feint of heart.
They take months to grow to any real size at all, and still much longer before bearing fruit.
If you're growing an alpine variety, they may take a year or more to bear fruit.
Of all the plants you could start from seed, strawberries will prove to be one of the more difficult.
Adult strawberry plants are often described as hearty, but strawberries grown from seed are anything but hearty for quite a few months.
That said, starting strawberries from seed is highly rewarding! If you've got the time and attention to carefully baby them for a long, slow start in life, they're absolutely worth all the trouble. I highly encourage cultivating your strawberries from seed if you're up for the challenge and want to hone your seed-starting skills.
Further, starting from seed allows you to try many incredible varieties that may not be available as bare roots or starts at your local nursery.
There are so many incredible strawberries that you can try if you're willing to start from seed - including many alpine varieties that are rarely if ever available locally.
for a late-October planting in AZ
Strawberries as Ground Cover in Arizona
Strawberries have a wonderful growth habit for ground cover. They creep and crawl, shooting out runners while the plants remain very low. Similar to clovers, they have a way of carpeting your garden and covering and protecting your soil.
They'll also protect exposed roots of taller plants, and do an amazing job of suppressing weeds. Plus they hold soils together to prevent erosion when there's too much water.
While strawberries won't make it through the heat of summer in Tucson, Phoenix, or Vegas - they'll happily grow year-round in milder climates.
What Are Alpine Strawberries?
Delicious. Slow-growing. Fun!
Some people report alpine varieties to be bland and dry. Others say they taste 10x better than a typical garden strawberry. It depends on the variety you pick, so I encourage you to try quite a few alpine varieties before making your mind up about them.
Alpine strawberries will be much more difficult to find at nurseries than garden strawberries.
For this reason, I'd recommend not endeavoring to grow alpine strawberries until you're ready to take on a challenge.
Growing strawberries from seed is already a test of your gardening skill and patience. Alpine strawberries are often only available from seed, and grow even slower than regular strawberries.
This means that growing alpine strawberries from seed can be a great challenge of your gardening skill, but expect some frustration.
I'd put this off if you're new to seed-starting, growing alpine strawberries from seed is like playing on expert mode.
If you're up for it, though, it can be incredibly rewarding to grow alpine strawberry varieties!
The Alexandria variety (shown above) took me 5 months under LEDs to get up to transplant size. Most plants would have grown to this size in 2-4 weeks.
That's a big difference, so get ready to water them for numerous months and start them early. I start my alpine strawberries from seed in the spring for an autumn transplant.
Stick with it, though, it's worth it!
Can You Grow Alpine Strawberries in AZ?
Definitely! Just be prepared for many months of babying them indoors before transplanting out in the fall. Alpine strawberries will do great in Arizona through autumn, winter, and spring - but will not make it through the summer if you're in the lowlands.
Consider keeping them in planters which can be moved indoors for the 3 or 4 hottest months of the year.
Once you've grown some strawberries, put those leaves to use in strawberry leaf tea! The leaves are better for you than the berries are.
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