Georgia · zones 7b–9a
When to plant strawberries in Georgia.
Sow or transplant between Mar 6 to Apr 10 in a typical year, keyed to Georgia's median last frost around Mar 20. A second, fall sowing fits Sep 11 to Oct 11. Dates below are state medians; your ZIP code shifts them by days to weeks.
The 2026 windows
Strawberries dates for a typical Georgia season.
1 · Start indoors
Jan 23 to Feb 27
About 6 weeks before set-out. Warm spot, real light.
2 · Set out
Mar 6 to Apr 10
Keyed to the ~Mar 20 last frost. Sow 0" deep, 12" apart.
Fall round
Sep 11 to Oct 11
Counted back from the ~Nov 10 first frost.
Harvest
~90 days later
~1.5 lb per plant over ~8 weeks.
Georgia spans more than one climate: Zone 8 is the most common zone, but the state runs 7b to 9a. That's why the planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not your zone: mountain and coastal gardens in the same state can be three weeks apart.
Georgia growing notes
How Georgia growers actually plant strawberries.
Two systems, two calendars
Georgia has a split personality on strawberries. The farms you pick at in spring run the annual plasticulture system: they set plugs in October, carry small plants through the mild winter, and pick hard from late March into May before ripping the beds out. Home gardeners mostly run the other system: set crowns in late winter or early spring, let the bed establish for a year, and pick for 3 to 5 seasons from the same planting.
Both work here. A spring planting suits the perennial home system and day-neutral types best. If you want the farm system, plant in fall instead and treat the bed as a one-year crop. The test for choosing: if you want berries within 6 months and do not mind replanting every year, go fall plasticulture. If you want a bed that keeps producing with one planting, go spring.
Varieties that handle Georgia heat
Chandler and Camarosa are the plasticulture standards across the Southeast, and Sweet Charlie ripens 7 to 10 days earlier than either. For spring-planted beds, Albion is the day-neutral workhorse, but know its limit: day-neutrals stall when days run above about 85 degrees, which in most of Georgia means production shuts down by mid June and can pick back up in September.
Whatever you plant, Georgia's red clay is the first problem to solve. Strawberry crowns rot in standing water, and clay holds it. Build the bed up 8 inches or more, work in 2 to 3 inches of compost, and aim for pH 5.8 to 6.5. A 10 dollar soil test from your county extension office settles the pH question before you buy a single plant.
The March frost gamble
Georgia's berry losses mostly happen in one specific window: an open bloom in March hit by a late frost. A closed bud survives the upper 20s, but an open white bloom dies at 30 degrees, and the earliest blooms are your biggest berries. The test is simple: any bloom open plus a forecast of 34 degrees or below means covers go on tonight.
One layer of floating row cover buys 4 to 6 degrees of protection and comes off in the morning. Growers who cover on 2 or 3 frost nights routinely save the early crop that uncovered beds lose. Spider mites are the other Georgia signature problem: a fine stipple on leaves in a hot dry April. Check the underside of 5 leaves a week with a hand lens, and hit them with insecticidal soap before webbing shows.
In Georgia: watch for
The pests that find strawberries here.
A middle-length season, about 235 frost-free days, means strawberry, day-neutral overlaps spotted wing drosophila for a stretch each summer. Check plants every week or two and treat early.
Soft, quickly-rotting ripe berries with tiny larvae inside.
Organic fix: Pick often, chill fast, hang traps, exclude with fine netting.
Metallic beetles skeletonizing the leaves in summer.
Organic fix: Handpick into soapy water; neem.
White powder on leaves, or fuzzy gray rot on the fruit.
Organic fix: Prune for airflow, water at the base, spray neem.
Your season math: Georgia gives strawberries about 235 frost-free days, and it needs roughly 90 days to a first harvest. It's a one-planting crop, so time that single sowing well.
Planting strawberries in Georgia: questions
When should I plant strawberries in Georgia?+
In a typical Georgia year, sow strawberries or set out transplants between Mar 6 to Apr 10, keyed to the state's median last frost around Mar 20. There's also a fall window: Sep 11 to Oct 11. Your exact dates shift with your ZIP code and microclimate.
When do I start strawberries seeds indoors in Georgia?+
Start seeds inside about 6 weeks before set-out: roughly Jan 23 to Feb 27 for a typical Georgia season.
What USDA zone is Georgia?+
Georgia spans zones 7b–9a, mostly zone 8. But frost dates, not zones, set planting time. The free planner uses your ZIP code's actual frost dates.
How many strawberries plants do I need?+
Depends who you're feeding. The crop page has exact counts per household size, or the free planner does the math for your family in about 60 seconds.