Honeoye is a favorite early-midseason June-bearing strawberry, grown with great success around the Great Lakes and in New England. Plants are very winter hardy, vigorous and show some resistance to powdery mildew.
The berries are sweet, firm, juicy and cone-shaped with a rich, distinctive flavor. Their bright red color holds even after freezing, making them excellent for jams and freezer stock as well as fresh eating.
What it looks like
White, five-petaled flowers with golden yellow centers appear in late spring among the leaves. Leaves are medium green, divided into three rounded, toothed leaflets. Firm, bright red, conical berries with small yellow seeds ripen in early to mid June. The plants form low clumps about 6 to 8 inches tall that spread by runners to about 3 feet. At harvest, bright red berries cluster under the foliage on straw mulch.
Growing it with lavender
Strawberries enjoy full sun like lavender but want richer, more evenly moist soil, so grow them in a nearby raised bed or kitchen garden rather than among the lavender.
Care
Plant in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil with the crown level with the soil surface, and water regularly, especially while fruit is forming. Hardy in zones 4 to 8. Mulch with straw to keep berries clean, and renew beds every few years with young runner plants.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Fragaria × ananassa
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Flower color: White with yellow centers
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Foliage: Medium green
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Growth habit: Low, spreading clump with runners
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Mature size: 6–8 in tall × 36 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Mid-May
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Peak bloom: Late-May
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Susceptible
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.