Fall planting · Spring harvest · Phoenix / East Valley, AZ
Yes, you can grow strawberries in Phoenix. The trick is to treat them like our other cool-season crops: plant in the fall, let them settle in over the mild winter, and pick in spring before the heat takes over. Plant in summer, or on a spring schedule borrowed from a back-East seed catalog, and they usually fry.
For areas below 3,000 feet, which covers the whole Valley, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension recommends a fall planting from September 15 to November 15 (UA publication AZ1667). Fall planting gives the roots the whole cool season to get established, so the plants are strong enough to carry fruit in spring.
If you're reading this in late October or early November, you're right on time. Get plants in the ground by mid-November.
UA Cooperative Extension lists these as performing well at low elevations:
Buy healthy, dormant plants or local nursery starts. For fall planting, Extension suggests chilled plants (sold as "frigo" plants) for best results. Keep bare-root plants in the refrigerator until you plant. Throw out any with moldy roots or crowns.
Strawberries want full sun in winter but can't handle our afternoon sun once it heats up. Pick a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, such as the east side of a wall or fence. Otherwise, plan to put shade cloth over the bed in spring (Extension suggests 65%).
One rotation rule matters a lot here: don't plant strawberries where tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or potatoes grew. Those crops can leave verticillium wilt in the soil, and many strawberry varieties are very susceptible to it.
Strawberries are very sensitive to salt, and Phoenix soil and tap water both carry plenty of it. Work 2–4 inches of compost into the bed to about 12 inches deep, which is where strawberry roots grow. If you can, prep the bed a few weeks ahead and water it well to settle it. See amending desert soil for the basics.
If salt is a problem in your yard, a raised or mounded bed helps. Extension suggests setting plants partway up the side of the mound so salts move to the peak, away from the crowns. Containers and strawberry pots with fresh potting mix also work well and are easy to move into afternoon shade.
This is where most strawberry plantings fail. Set each plant so the crown sits right at the soil line: roots covered, growing tip above the soil. Too deep and the crown rots. Too shallow and the roots dry out. Space plants about 12 inches apart, firm the soil around the roots, and water right away.
Water almost daily for the first week to get plants past transplant shock, then switch to steady, even moisture in the top several inches. Drip irrigation under a layer of straw mulch works well. The mulch keeps berries off the soil and holds moisture. In our cool months that usually means watering much less often than in summer. Check the soil before you water (see how to water a Phoenix vegetable garden).
The plants handle our winters fine, but the early flowers are frost-tender, and those first blossoms make the biggest berries. On frost nights (see Phoenix frost dates for your area), cover the bed with frost cloth. Pick berries when they're fully red. As temperatures climb in late spring, production stops and the plants struggle. Many Valley gardeners pull them and replant fresh the next fall.
Want every planting date in one place? My Phoenix Planting Calendar lays out what to plant every month for Phoenix and the East Valley. It's $7, instant PDF download.