Knowledgebase

Strawberry plants #924370

Asked February 09, 2026, 1:27 PM EST

We planted strawberries in a raised bed four years ago. We have never done any thinning. We have some ever bearing and some June plants. We were wondering if we could thin them now, or should we wait till later in the spring. We thought we would move some of the plants out to another bed. The ones we have are in a raised bed surrounding two blueberry plants. We have had strawberries every year that are delicious, but we're worried that we should be doing a better job of caring for the plants. They do look crowded. Thanks for your advice.

Lane County Oregon

Expert Response

Greetings Anne,

You can thin the "runners," or long thin stems with new strawberry plants at any time, especially if your patch is looking crowded.

Strawberry plants are typically only productive for 3-5 years, so you many consider removing all of your June bearers after they fruit, then removing the everbearing plants at the end of the growing season. Next spring you can start over with fresh plants.

It's temping to use the "daughter" sprouts that grow off the strawberries as your new plants, but this can introduce unwanted pests into your strawberry patch. It's best to start new with certified disease-free plants from your trusted local nursery.

You can find more great information about growing strawberries in the following OSU extension article:

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ec-1307-growing-strawberries-your-home-garden

Happy gardening,

Katherine Bravo Replied February 10, 2026, 10:56 PM EST

Loading ...