The Holy Grail

Strawberry plant. Easily recognized by its 3-parted leaves.

Gotta admit that finding some plants in Puerto Rico is hard. Orchids, roses, citrus trees, oregano brujo, avocado, tomato. Easy. Strawberries, especially in fall. Hard. So this is the story of how two little adventurers braved the scorching sun and high humidity in search of a strawberry plant. Cue the adventure theme music. In all seriousness we've been searching for a strawberry plant since we started our garden a few months ago. We both love strawberries and have been wanting to grow our own since we tasted a freshly picked strawberry in Verona, Italy in 2010. The difference between a fresh and a supermarket strawberry is, as we say in Puerto Rico, "del cielo a la tierra" (from heaven to earth). After months of searching we were able to buy a plant at a garden center about an hour from where we live.

Growing strawberries in Puerto Rico is not an easy task. Some say it is impossible unless you live in the mountains. Due to the high temperatures and humidity extra care must be taken to avoid fungus, root rot and burnt plants. In temperate, and even sub-tropical, climates strawberries should be grown in full sun. In the tropics full sun will most likely kill your plants so it is recommended to grow strawberries is semi-shade or 3-4 hours of early morning or late afternoon sunlight. Another precaution to take is not to get the leaves wet which will likely cause fungus (usually, powdery mildew) to develop.

Strawberry plants are technically perennials but are usually grown as annuals. The plants you find at the nursery are called mother plants. These plants produce a significant amount of berries and also produce runners called daughter plants. These daughter plants can be allowed to root or cut from the mother plant since they drain energy that could be directed towards fruit production. If allowed to root they will become a mother plant next season. A good trick is to put a rock over the stem of the runner to pin it to the ground to encourage root growth.

Strawberries are classified into three classes: June-bearing, ever-bearing and day neutral. June bearings bear fruit in June (no surprise there), ever-bearing produces two batches of fruit (one in early summer and one in late summer) while day neutral are not affected by the length of a day and produce small batches of fruit from June until frost stops them. We have no idea which plant we actually got but I will assume it's a June bearer since it's the most common. (Editor's note: Always research your plants before buying.) It would be interesting to see how day neutral plants would behave in Puerto Rico since there is no frost.

Will we succeed in growing strawberries in the tropics? Keep tuned to find out and for more information on growing strawberries.