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Dessert strawberries in popularity can only be compared with garden strawberries. Strawberries are good not only externally, the berry has an excellent taste, a very appetizing aroma, and also contains a lot of useful substances: vitamins C and B, folic acid, pectins, carotene. But harmful components, such as sugar, cholesterol, are not contained in strawberries at all, so almost everyone can eat the berry (the only exceptions are small children and allergy sufferers).
It is not surprising that summer residents are keenly interested in strawberry varieties and is often grown sweet berries in their areas, because this is the only way to be one hundred percent confident in the quality of the product. To help gardeners here are collected the best varieties of strawberries for 2018 with photos and descriptions, characteristics and features.
Division of varieties into groups
Like all fruit crops, strawberries come in many varieties. Before stopping your choice on a specific strawberry variety, you should decide which group the culture should belong to.
AND divide garden berries into many groups, the main criteria are:
- ripening rate (early ripening varieties, mid-ripening and late strawberries);
- type of pollination (self-pollinated varieties, strawberries that need pollinating insects);
- fruiting method (ripening of one crop per season or remontant varieties that bear fruit all summer);
- yield (a high-yielding variety can be called a variety that allows you to remove two kilograms of berries from one bush);
- berry sizes (large strawberry, as a rule, it is the most fruitful, because each berry weighs from 40 grams);
- method of cultivation (varieties of strawberries for open ground and varieties of strawberries for greenhouses are complemented by a room variety of berries, which can be grown directly in the house or on the balcony);
- the newest varieties and time-tested.
The list of the best strawberry varieties in this article will be compiled based on the feedback from experienced gardeners, as well as taking into account their requirements. As a rule, the owner of the garden needs the berries to be the most delicious, dense, beautiful, so that the variety is productive and can withstand weather vagaries.
The best varieties of early strawberries
New varieties of strawberries often differ precisely in the ripening rate - among the new varieties of selection, there are more and more early maturing varieties. This is not surprising, because such strawberries will ripen by the end of spring, it is customary to grow them in greenhouses and greenhouses, and use them for sale.
The peculiarity of early varieties is that the first berries are not usually used for processing or conservation - the fruits are good only for fresh consumption. Strawberries often have a dense consistency, therefore they tolerate transportation well and retain their presentation for a long time.
Rarely, only early strawberries are grown at their summer cottage, plantings are often interspersed with later varieties. So, the gardener will be able to enjoy the taste of the first berries in May and stretch this pleasure until August (planting late-ripening varieties).
"Clery"
The best early-maturing berry variety that has practically no flaws. For the first time, "Clery" was grown by Italians, but the variety quickly spread throughout the world. The main advantages of strawberries are the beauty of the berries and a very sweet taste.
The fruits are slightly elongated, with a sharp tip. The flesh of the berry is pink and the skin is bright red. Strawberries of this variety do not have a strong aroma, but the smell of berries is delicate and very pleasant.
The bushes of the variety are small, compact, spherical in shape. Strawberries form many whiskers, so rooting them is the most popular way to propagate the crop.
It is better to plant "Clery" in the ground in September, so that the bushes have time to acclimatize and give their first fruits in the spring. It is very easy to care for the crop, so it is great for novice gardeners and those who rarely visit their dacha.
"Alba"
This strawberry also comes from Italy, the variety belongs to the elite. In Russia, "Alba" is loved for its excellent taste and beautiful large berries weighing up to 50 grams.
You can even recognize the variety by the taste of the berries, it is very characteristic - sweet and sour. The fruits are elongated, bright red. Even by the end of the season, strawberries do not become smaller, the mass of fruits is approximately the same throughout the growing season.
Alba has many advantages:
- frost-resistant;
- tolerates drought well;
- high-yielding;
- resistant to pests and viruses;
- well tolerated for transportation and storage.
Due to these qualities, the variety can be grown commercially. All Alba needs to ripen is abundant and regular watering.
"Zephyr"
You can recognize Danish strawberries by the type of berries: they are round, with clearly visible edges and a perfectly smooth surface. The variety is considered fruitful, since the gardener can get up to a kilogram of fruit from each bush.
Strawberry has a rich taste and aroma, it is often used for sale, it tolerates transportation and storage well.
"Zephyr" begins to bear fruit in the first year after planting, strawberries ripen very early. If you need to speed up the growing process even more, it is recommended to grow the variety in greenhouses and use artificial supplementary lighting of the bushes.
The variety tolerates drought, rarely gets sick, does not undergo massive attacks of pests.
"Honey"
The list of the best strawberries will be incomplete without this name. "Honey" is very often grown in the gardens of Russia, because this strawberry has a lot of advantages:
- a highly developed root system that allows seedlings to quickly adapt and become saturated with nutrients from the deep layers of the soil;
- a large mass of berries;
- early fruiting (fruit ovaries are already laid in April);
- excellent taste characteristics (the stave contains antioxidants, vitamins and even iodine).
Strawberries bloom for about two weeks, the first berries can be picked in mid-May, and the ripening time does not even depend on the region and the weather. The variety bears fruit once a year. By the end of the growing season, strawberries become smaller but sweeter.
Garden strawberry varieties mid-season
Strawberries with medium ripening times are rightfully considered the most common in Russia, because these varieties are universal. The fruits are very tasty fresh, since the summer sun is enough for the plants, such strawberries can be canned, they are dense and juicy at the same time.
But mid-season strawberries will be an excellent solution, a summer resident from Siberia it may well be limited only to this variety of berries (giving away fruits in the middle of summer, the plants will be protected from the spring and autumn cold).
"Festivalnaya"
This strawberry is known for its ability to withstand periods of drought and intense heat. The variety is considered one of the most popular in Russia because of its simplicity.
Strawberries are bright red, rounded, with a shiny surface and pink flesh. The berries taste sweet with a moderate acidity, which is considered the standard of strawberry taste.
The bushes of this variety are quite tall, but not very branched. Planting "Festivalnaya" is recommended in the spring, when the first warmth comes.
Most of all "Festivalnaya" is suitable for the climatic conditions of the middle zone, as it tolerates cold and high humidity well. The crop yields stable and high yields, rarely gets sick.
"Darselect"
This strawberry is one of the most popular mid-season varieties. A characteristic feature of the variety is its strawberry aroma. The berries are large, fleshy, with sourness.
The shape of the fruit is conical, the tip is slightly blunt. Strawberries weigh about 25-30 grams.
Indoors, "Darselect" ripens in mid-May, while in the garden beds the berries will ripen only by mid-June. The bushes are tall, the leaves of the strawberry are colored dark green. A lot of whiskers appear on the bushes, but this does not lead to thickening of the plantings, it is not necessary to remove the shoots.
The first wave of the harvest is distinguished by slightly elongated berries, and the last strawberries are more rounded, even. The pulp of the fruit is elastic, moderately juicy, pink. Sweetness and sourness are perfectly balanced in the taste of berries.
"Marshal"
One of the medium-ripening large-fruited varieties. Growing such strawberries is economically profitable, because thanks to the size of the berries, it will be possible to harvest a decent harvest from a small area.
The average fruit weight is 90 grams, but with proper care and sufficient nutrition, the berries can reach 100 grams. Fruits ripen in the first half of June. The variety is not afraid of frost, therefore it can be successfully cultivated in the cold regions of the country.
It is better to plant Marshal strawberries in July, so that the bushes have time to take root before the onset of winter, and fruit buds are laid in the axils of the leaves.
"Asia"
Strawberries with an unconventional flavor and large, beautiful fruits. The berries taste a little tart, sweetish with sourness. The aroma of strawberries is pronounced, strawberry.
The fruits have the same shape and size, are painted in a carmine shade, elongated in the form of a cone. The density of the berries allows them to be transported even over long distances. The purpose of the fruit is universal: strawberries can be eaten fresh, canned or frozen. It is better to grow a berry under cover, since the variety is quite capricious in terms of temperature. The bushes are large with massive and dense leaves, thick peduncles, a small number of whiskers.
"Asia" has earned its fame because of its exotic taste and marketable appearance.
Kimberly
The Dutch variety is popular not only among novice gardeners, even professional farmers appreciate this strawberry. Due to the high content of various sugars, the fruits have an unusual caramel flavor.
The berries are large, shiny, slightly elongated. Strawberries are well transported and have firm flesh. Bushes are low, but powerful. There are few leaves on the plant, the fruits are located closer to the ground. During the season, several whiskers appear on the bushes, in order to maintain productivity, these shoots must be removed.
It is possible to plant "Kimberly" both in the spring and in the fall - in any case, this should be done as early as possible. The variety loves moisture, so the bushes should be watered often and abundantly. But for the winter, it is better to cover the bushes with spruce branches or hay to prevent the culture from freezing.
Review of Kimberly strawberry
"Elsanta"
Classic variety, bred in Holland by crossing two elite species ("Holiday" and "Gorella"). The appearance of the berries is very attractive, they are shiny, smooth and even. The shape of the strawberries resembles a cone, their color is bright red, the flesh is dense, and the taste is excellent.
The culture loves moisture very much, so it will have to be watered often and abundantly. But the gardener will receive a high yield - from each bush up to 1.5 kg of fresh berries. You just need to monitor the roots of the plants and provide them with good ventilation (loosen the soil in the aisles) so that the roots do not rot.
In general, "Elsanta" is unpretentious: it is not afraid of frost, does not undergo fungal infections, does not need frequent fertilization. Most suitable for cultivation in film tunnels.
Late-ripening varieties
This group of strawberry varieties has such advantages as persistence, rich taste and aroma of fruits, unpretentiousness. Late-ripening strawberries are grown mainly in ordinary beds, since flower stalks appear on the bushes after spring frosts.
Most often, the late harvest is used for processing: conservation, preparation of juices, compotes and preserves. You can successfully freeze berries to preserve the flavor of summer until next season.
"Lord"
Breeders from England were engaged in the breeding of this strawberry, their primary task was high yields. And scientists have coped with this - "Lord" is considered one of the most productive varieties of late vegetation.
Each bush can give up to three kilograms of berries, so the English variety is often grown by fruit merchants. The berries tolerate transportation well, they are not afraid of the cold.
The bushes grow up to 50 cm, which allows the fruits to ripen in weight without touching the ground. This protects the strawberries from rotting and eating by insects. The strawberries are red, elongated, beautiful and very tasty.
Zenga-Zengana
This species belongs to the varieties of German selection. The peculiarity of the culture is the unisexuality of its inflorescences, therefore, to pollinate the flowers, you will have to plant strawberries mixed with another species, otherwise there will be no harvest.
But the variety has a lot of advantages: compact bushes, a small number of mustaches, large berries (up to 40 grams).
It is characteristic that the fruits of this variety are not the same: they can have both round and elongated shapes, be smooth or have ribs. The berries ripen late, have a sweet taste and a strong aroma, and are colored in a rich cherry color.
The variety is very productive - up to two kilograms of fruit are harvested from the bush. Often these strawberries are grown for sale, because they are well stored and transported.
Repairing strawberry varieties
The best strawberry varieties of the new generation are remontant. Such crops are able to bear fruit more than once per season, and some can continue to bear fruit without interruption throughout the summer.
Such strawberries are loved for high yields, unpretentiousness, and most importantly, for the fact that with remontant species it is possible not to plant varieties with different ripening periods, because there will always be fresh berries on the bushes.
Reviews of the country's gardeners indicate that most of them either completely switched to remontant varieties, or supplemented their collection of strawberries with them.
"Selva"
The variety was obtained by crossing three strawberry species, the remontant culture has absorbed the best qualities of each of them. The advantages of this variety are as follows:
- unpretentiousness;
- cold resistance;
- immunity against diseases;
- high productivity.
The first berries appear earlier than the fruits of the earliest varieties, but this strawberry does not have a very pronounced taste or aroma, and its pulp resembles an apple in density. But the second harvest is more tasty and plentiful, full of strawberry aroma.
"Mara de Bois"
For the selection of this species, scientists used the genetic material of alpine strawberries, which explains the amazing aroma and sweet and sour taste of this strawberry.
Strawberries need sunlight to grow, otherwise they are quite unpretentious. The fruits ripen throughout the season - from May to September, which suggests an unprecedented yield of the species.
The berries are beautiful and tasty, but they cannot be stored - after three days the strawberries crumple and let the juice flow. Because of this, the variety is not used for growing for sale, it is better for them to feast on in their own garden.
Conclusion
The names of the best strawberry varieties with photos and a short description should help the gardener decide - from this variety it is easy to choose something suitable for any growing conditions.
We can only advise that it is better to combine plantings, supplementing early varieties with late ones, or planting remontant strawberries along with mid-season ones. This approach will provide the gardener with fresh berries at any time of the season, and the yield will be significantly higher.
