Do strawberries prefer full sun?

[papillon]

We planted some strawberry plants in the sunniest part of the garden last spring and didn't get a single strawberry. Should we move them to somewhere with partial shade now before they really get going or could there be another reason for the lack of fruit?

 

[zigs]

They don't usually crop much the first year. Are you in the UK? if so, the abysmal summer wouldn't have helped.

 

[papillon]

Maybe they were too young. I am in Bulgaria and last summer was quite hot and dry. We kept the plants well watered but didn't even see a flower, that's why I was wondering if they might prefer a bit of shade.

 

[zigs]

Bulgaria, blimey.

Saw the tomatoes from there last year, looks like it gets really hot.

some dappled shade would probably help then, they are woodland plants originally, growing in clearings.

 

[papillon]

We got fed up with the lack of sunshine in the UK! It is very cold here in winter but more than makes up for it in the summer. Perhaps a bit too hot for the strawberries - I'll move them somewhere with a bit of shade.

 

[nelson castro]

A gentle, south-facing slope is ideal.

 

[papillon]

They are in a raised bed and slope slightly south-east. They look lovely and healthy at the moment, but I'm starting to think that because they're raised up, maybe they drain too quickly in summer. Our soil is clay but we mixed in a lot of compost and manure when we made the strawberry bed last year. I've started moving some of the plants to another part of the garden so we can do a comparison between their yields.

 

[Dora M]

My strawberries didn't show much fruit activity for nearly two years. After a while I decided to buy some plants that were already producing fruit. As the sun is really harsh where I am, in Australia, I need to protect them from extreme exposure. I have got a light shade cloth over them during the hottest time of the day. When it's not so extreme, I usually remove it, so that they get what they need.
I hope your strawberries will make an appearance soon.

 

[Lacey]

I have mine planted in a wishing well right by my irrigation ditch. They get full sun and a ton of water and they grow like crazy. I have always had pretty good luck planting my strawberries in direct sun. Once they get established they come back every year and normally give me a pretty good crop of strawberries.

 

[inoristart]

In my country there's so many sunlight and it's not that good for my strawberry. I guess you need it but not too much

 

[evelynmcgregor]

Where I grew up in Texas, there was a small town whose main business was strawberries. The soil there was sandy and it was blazing hot! We used to get the best strawberries there when we would go to their annual strawberry festival every year. We always looked forward to going because they would have a parade, crown a strawberry queen, have rides and such for the kids and always lots of treats made with the abundant berries.

 

[Rosyrain]

Too much sunlight will cook the strawberries. I used to love camoing when I was younger because we would find wild strawberries and pick them as a treat. The ones in the mountains grow much smaller than domestic ones though.