Strawberry Growers Information

Meet Our Staff
Events
Advisories
Presentations
Management chevron_right
Production chevron_right
Pest Management chevron_right
Research Reports chevron_right
- Basics of Plug Propagation Webinar Summary – August 8, 2013
- Strawberry Yield Data 2015
Weather & Climate
Links
Agent Resources
Departmental Extension Programs chevron_right
Publications & Factsheets

Now on Twitter

Home
Pre-Harvest & Harvest

Pre-Harvest & Harvest

Coming soon…

<<< Post-planting & Dormancy

Post-harvest >>>

Written By

Dr. Barclay PolingFormer Professor and Extension Specialist, Strawberries and Muscadines (919) 515-5373 (Office) barclay_poling@ncsu.eduHorticultural Science - NC State University

Page Last Updated: 6 years ago

Was the information on this page helpful? Yes No

Care to tell us why? Send Explanation

Share this Article

Tweet this Page

Share on Facebook

Email this Article

Print this Article

Subscribe To Receive News By Email You will automatically get notified when we post news to this site.

Extension Jobs

» Why Work in Extension?

Posted Sep 20 Afterschool Care Program Assistant (NCCE)-Temporary Gates County
Posted Sep 05 Extension Program Assistant/Associate, 4-H Hoke County
Posted Aug 30 Instructional Design Consultant Guilford County
Posted Aug 23 Extension Agent, 4-H Caldwell County
View More Jobs All of Extension

Receive Job Notifications By Email

Recent Contributors

Dr. Barclay PolingFormer Professor and Extension Specialist, Strawberries and Muscadines

Dr. Frank LouwsDepartment Head, Horticultural Science

Dr. Gina FernandezExtension Specialist (Small Fruits)

Dr. Mark HoffmannSmall Fruits Extension Specialist, Assistant Professor, Strawberry and Grape

About Extension

NC State Extension is the largest outreach program at NC State University. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we reach millions of North Carolina citizens each year through local centers in the state's 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Learn More

Social Media Accounts

Twitter

Let's Stay In Touch

We have several topic based e-mail newsletters that are sent out periodically when we have new information to share. Want to see which lists are available?
Subscribe By Email

About
Strawberry Growers Information

North Carolina ranks third in national production of fresh market strawberries with an estimated 2,000 acres of strawberry plasticulture production and a farm gate value of about 20 million dollars. The North Carolina strawberry industry is highly decentralized and is almost entirely based on small-to medium-size family farms, selling at U-pick and ready-pick roadside stands and in farmers markets in all 100 counties. North Carolina is a leading state in ‘direct marketing’ of strawberries, and has one acre of strawberries per 4,500 people. The majority of the strawberries produced in North Carolina are grown in an annual hill plasticulture system (called ‘plasticulture’) with less than 100 acres of the matted row system in the foothills and mountains of North Carolina. The advantages of strawberry plasticulture production and marketing include a 5-7 week harvest season in the spring compared to about 2-3 weeks for matted row. In addition, there is no longer a breeding program in North Carolina for the development of matted row varieties, but there is a very active strawberry breeding program for plasticulture varieties that is led by Dr. Gina Fernandez, Dept. of Horticultural Science.

The main plasticulture variety in the mountains and piedmont today is Chandler. This is a good all-round variety for direct marketing. The main variety grown in the Sandhills and Eastern NC is Camarosa. Camarosa is a larger berry than Chandler, and it also has better shelf-life and resistance to rain damage than Chandler. However, Camarosa is more cold sensitive than Chandler, and growers in the piedmont, foothills and mountain are strongly advised to the use winter row covers with Camarosa.

Extension agents and growers can find research-based information specific to North Carolina strawberry production on this site, whether the information originated in the Department of Horticultural Science, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Plant Pathology, Entomology or the State Climate Office. Success in agriculture requires a multidisciplinary approach. The goal in designing information portals is to save growers and Extension agents time and effort by creating a one-stop shop for a specific agricultural commodity, in this case, strawberries.

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Read our Commitment to Diversity | Read our Privacy Statement

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University are collectively committed to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, political beliefs, family and marital status, sex, age, veteran status, sexual identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or disability.