Michael Polozola

In the spring of 2020, a quest began to find the ideal strawberry variety for Louisiana home gardeners. With many people staying at home during this period, there was a significant increase in interest in growing their own food. It was noticed that many of these new gardeners had little to no experience with gardening. This led LSU AgCenter Extension personnel to brainstorm suitable introductory plants for beginners and ultimately deciding that strawberries would be an excellent choice.

Why Strawberries?

For one, they are quick to enter production. You can plant a strawberry patch in the fall and have plenty of produce by spring. Many other fruiting plants require years of waiting. While that wait is worthwhile, new gardeners often want to see immediate results. A little success can help give them the enthusiasm to pursue more long-term gardening goals.

Another benefit of strawberries is their versatility in growing conditions. Traditionally, strawberries are grown in fields, but they can just as easily be grown in containers. This is great for beginners or those with limited space.

Starting the Experiment

With all of this in mind, the determination to start an experiment to find the ideal strawberry variety for home gardeners in Louisiana was strong. In preliminary research, it was noticed that most resources focused on annual commercial production. While this information is crucial for local producers to meet consumer demand, it didn't align with the needs of homeowners who want to plant strawberries once and enjoy them for many seasons.

Perennial production is more common in the northern United States but less so in the hot and humid South, where disease pressure is intense. Although strawberries can be grown fairly easily as an annual with proper disease management, they are actually quite challenging to grow as a perennial in Louisiana. Effective disease management is essential for successful annual cultivation, ensuring healthy plants and bountiful harvests. This was intriguing and contradicted the initial belief that they would be an ideal starter plant. Undeterred, research was doubled down on to find ways to make perennial strawberry cultivation feasible.

Initial Trials

When the strawberry experiment was initiated, a plethora of varieties was discovered that had never been heard of before. Although it was already late in the spring season, about 20 different cultivars were acquired to start with. As you can imagine, keeping track of 20 different named varieties was quite a task. Initially, terra-cotta pots in elevated stands were used with moderate success. The excitement of harvesting the first batch of strawberries was memorable. Their sweet taste was incredibly rewarding and made the efforts of growing them worthwhile. Because they were grown at home, they could be allowed to get absolutely, completely ripe, which made their flavor so much richer than what could be bought at a grocery store. Over time, about 75 different named varieties were trialed, and growing towers were used to accommodate all the plants.

Despite the severe weather conditions in Louisiana, including hurricanes, extreme drought, ice storms and snow, some of these plants have shown remarkable resilience. Growing in containers and towers, they are less buffered against these elements, yet a handful of these selections have survived and thrived. Some have even endured containers that froze solid and still came through the other side.

The SWAG Method

To determine which strawberry varieties to trial, the SWAG method — scientific wildly aimed guess — was employed. This approach involved a combination of research, intuition and practical considerations. Existing literature was reviewed, local experts were consulted and factors such as disease resistance, yield potential and suitability for Louisiana's climate were considered. This method allowed the narrowing down of the vast array of available varieties to a manageable number for the experiment.

However, even with this method, something similar to a shotgun approach was still employed. This means a wide range of cultivars were tried to see what would work best, rather than focusing on just a few. This trial-and-error process was essential in identifying the most suitable varieties for home gardeners in Louisiana.

Cultivar Selection

In the process, cultivars from a wide range of breeding climates were tried, though the focus was primarily on those from similar climates to Louisiana, like Florida and North Carolina. Occasionally, a variety was included purely because it was noted for its unique or extraordinarily sweet flavor profile. Overall, most cultivars were found to be better suited to annual cultivation. Despite this, a few showed signs of being suitable for perennial production.

Mara des Bois

Mara des Bois is one of the cultivars that performed exceptionally well in the trials, much to the surprise of those conducting the experiment. It was initially included in the experiment because it was frequently mentioned as one of the best-tasting varieties. Despite being a French selection, it has proven to be a vigorous, heat-tolerant and disease-resistant variety over the past five growing seasons in Louisiana. Mara des Bois has a shorter growth habit and tends to grow in thick crowns, which need to be thinned and separated regularly to maintain productivity long-term. As a day-neutral selection, it produces fruit year-round, provided the temperatures and growing conditions are favorable. While it slows down during the peak heat of summer and the coldest parts of winter, it otherwise yields fruit throughout the year. One downside to this continuous production is that it results in smaller harvests at any given time, unlike June bearers that produce a large quantity of fruit in a short period. However, the exceptional taste of Mara des Bois makes it a highly desirable choice for home gardeners. Additionally, no significant decline in vigor has been observed over five years of cultivation, making it a reliable long-term option.

Charlotte

Charlotte is a hybrid of Mara des Bois and Cal 19, combining the flavor of Mara with the productivity of Cal 19. This cross has resulted in a cultivar with a slightly taller and less dense growth habit than Mara des Bois, requiring less thinning. However, the reduced production of offshoots means it can take longer to propagate your own plants to fill a larger area. Additionally, the crowns of Charlotte require more care when dividing, as they can snap off more readily than other cultivars. Charlotte’s fruit is consistently larger than those of Mara des Bois, without a significant reduction in flavor. When tasted side by side, Mara des Bois may be slightly sweeter at times, but often the difference is negligible. Like Mara des Bois, Charlotte is a day-neutral variety that produces fruit for much of the year. Furthermore, no significant decline in vigor has been observed over four years of cultivation, making it a dependable choice for extended productivity.

Éclair

With a name like Éclair, you might assume it is a French selection, but it is actually an American one. Éclair is a short-day plant that tends to produce for a longer period than many other short-day selections. It has a vigorous, upright growth habit and produces a few runners each season, which can be used for light multiplication or to fill in any gaps from lost plants. It produces the largest berries of any of the recommended selections. Normally, large berries come with a significant reduction in flavor, but that is not the case with Éclair. While not as sweet as Mara des Bois or Charlotte, it is still sweeter than many selections you might buy in a grocery store. Although Éclair tends to decline in vigor over time, it remains productive for a good three years from the initial starting plants.

Galletta

Galletta is a short-day plant of moderate vigor but excellent yields developed in North Carolina. Its yield is impressive, but its flavor can be variable. There have been times when the fruit is mostly sweet, while at other times, it can be a bit tart. Galletta remains fairly productive for about four years before the plants decline in vigor. If you really enjoy it, you should be able to keep your patch going through propagating runners. If you want a large quantity of berries for processing, this might be the right plant for you.

All of these cultivars have their own merits. If you want a larger berry with good flavor, Éclair would be a good choice. If you need a large quantity of strawberries for jams or jellies, Galletta would be a good choice. Ultimately, if you are going to go through the effort to grow them at home, which can be more costly, you might as well choose one that tastes good enough to justify the extra time and expense. For that reason, Mara des Bois and Charlotte would be the best choices.

Conclusion

The work on this endeavor is not finished. There is always a search for new selections with potential to try. This year, another French selection, Garriguette, was requested from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and should be reviewed once enough of it can be propagated. The journey of discovering the ideal strawberry varieties for Louisiana home gardeners is ongoing, and each new season brings fresh opportunities and challenges. By continuing to experiment and share findings, the aim is to help fellow gardeners enjoy the sweet rewards of growing their own strawberries, no matter the conditions.

Michael Polozola, the LSU AgCenter Extension state fruit and nut specialist, is stationed at the AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Center in Alexandria.

This article appears in the spring 2025 edition of Louisiana Agriculture.

Various strawberries have been tested by horticulturist Michael Polozola. Photo by Michael Polozola

Charlotte is a hybrid of Mara des Bois and Cal 19. This cross has resulted in a strawberry cultivar with a slightly taller and less dense growth habit than Mara des Bois, requiring less thinning. However, the reduced production of offshoots means it can take longer to propagate your own plants to fill a larger area. Photo by Michael Polozola

Éclair is a short-day plant that tends to produce for a longer period than many other short-day selections. While not as sweet as Mara des Bois or Charlotte, it is still sweeter than many selections you might buy in a grocery store. Photo by Michael Polozola

Mara des Bois is one of the strawberry cultivars that performed exceptionally well in research trials. Despite being a French selection, it has proven to be a vigorous, heat-tolerant and disease-resistant variety over the past five growing seasons in Louisiana. Photo by Michael Polozola