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In the Southeast there is no single “best time” to plant strawberries, because gardeners use two different systems and each has its own date. Which one fits you depends on where you garden, and that is the part most quick answers skip.
Two systems, two planting dates
Clemson Extension’s guide to growing strawberries in South Carolina describes a spring system and a fall system. The spring system, called matted row, works best in the Upstate. The fall system, called annual hill, is preferred in the Sandhills and Coastal Plain, because anthracnose disease usually destroys matted-row plantings there before they produce fruit.
| System and area | When plants go in | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| Matted row, Upstate | Early spring of year one | Fruit in the spring of year two |
| Annual hill, Upstate | September is preferred | Fruit the following spring |
| Annual hill, Coastal Plain and Sandhills | October is usually the best month | Fruit the following spring, planting usually discarded after harvest |
| Annual hill, overall window | September 15 to November 15 | Plants set out in the fall |
South Carolina is one reference point inside zones 7-8, not a date for every garden in the band. If your area has a different disease pressure or winter, treat these dates as a starting point and check with your local extension office.
Planting weather and spring timing
For the spring matted-row system, the guide says to transplant when the temperature is 40 to 50°F, and that frost generally will not harm new plants. If plants arrive before you can set them out, store them in a refrigerator until planting.
Before you plant, check off
0 of 6 ready
Sources
- Growing Strawberries in South Carolina — Clemson Cooperative Extension, checked Oct 22, 2026