Orlando Berry Basket
Season
Winter strawberries. Spring blueberries. July imports.
Hull's strawberries go in late September to early November and fruit November into spring, in two or three cycles. Southern highbush on the peninsula is the earliest blueberry in North America. A July clamshell is often not local.
Strawberry winter
Plant City is a real strawberry district. The home-garden strawberry guide: harvest when three quarters of the berry is red, every two to four days. Fruit slides after full red.
| Place | Strawberry | Blueberry |
|---|---|---|
| Yard, Central Florida | Late Sept–early Nov plant. Fruit November–April/May | Mid-Dec–mid-Feb plant. Southern highbush. pH 4.0–5.5 |
| Central commercial (CV134) | Plant Sept 25–Oct 25 | — |
| Grocery, January | Often Florida | Depends. Early highbush exists |
| Grocery, July | Usually not Florida | Usually not Florida |
Blueberry spring
The blueberry gardener's guide: southern highbush in peninsular Florida are the earliest blueberries to ripen in North America. Exact weeks depend on cultivar. In Gainesville, Emerald's first harvest is a few days before Sharpblue and Star, with about 80% of fruit ripe between April 15 and May 10. Jewel's average harvest date there is April 12. Star is a north-Florida plant and has not performed well south of Ocala. Rabbiteye harvest later, and further north. Soil pH 4.0 to 5.5. Two beds.
Questions
Are grocery berries in July local?
Often not. Florida’s strawberry story is winter. Highbush is early. July is someone else’s field.
Can I mix both in one bed?
Different pH, different calendars, different plants. Strawberries 5.5–6.5. Blueberries 4.0–5.5. Two beds.
When does Hull go in the ground?
Home-garden strawberry guidance: late September to early November. CV134 Central Florida: September 25 to October 25. Fruit starts in November.
How to read a month
Florida is the winter strawberry capital of the world on the home-garden strawberry paper, and it grows them as an annual crop rather than a perennial. Plant City is a real strawberry district. Fall plant, winter fruit, two or three cycles, interrupted by freezes. Harvest when three quarters of the berry is red, every two to four days. Fruit slides after full red.
Blueberries are a second crop. Southern highbush on the peninsula are the earliest blueberries to ripen in North America, on the blueberry gardener's guide. Plant mid-December to mid-February. Emerald, Jewel, Star, and the rest are named in that paper. Rabbiteye harvest later, and further north. Soil pH and organic matter are different from strawberry. Two beds.
A July clamshell in the grocery is often not local. Florida's strawberry story is winter. Highbush is early. July is often someone else's field. Read the sticker. Hull is the name on the magnet, a winter strawberry, not a claim that every grocery berry in July grew here.