STRAWBERRIES DESCRIPTIONS - SPRING CROP VARIETIES

Benton:

Oregon State University release. Named after Benton County where O.S.U. is located in Corvallis, Oregon. June bearing variety, fruit is very bright, excellent keeping quality, conic in shape, and the flavor is very good. The fruit is medium to large in size and is recommended for all parts of the Pacific Northwest. Benton appears to have excellent winter hardiness. Benton also has excellent fruit quality and vigorous growth. Upright habit makes Benton a good bet for home gardeners as well as the commercial grower. More drought resistant than Rainier. Virus tolerant. Also tolerant to Red Stele. Ripens late.

Rainier:

Washington State Release. A very tough virus tolerant plant. Best home garden variety from standpoint of fruit quality and disease resistance. Extremely vigorous grower with large floppy leaves that are ornamentally attractive. The berry is medium to large in size and conic in shape. A fairly soft berry, Rainier is excellent for fresh eating as well as processing.

Hood:

Released in 1965 from Oregon State University. The large round (Globose) berry is considered to have the best table quality, now that the old Marshall (Vintage 1912) is no longer being propagated. Hood is known best as a fine preserve and jam berry, and is good for all other uses. Resistant to Root Rot, Mildew, and Red Stele but is quite susceptible to virus and should not be planted near strawberries known to be virused. Bears entire crop over a short period. Popular home garden variety. Not particularly winter hardy.

Shuksan:

A Washington Release. Large and glossy bright red fruit with slightly indented yellowish red seeds. Medium firm meaty flesh with good flavor. Good for fresh eating and excellent for freezing. The plant is large and very vigorous. Also produces runners freely. Shuksan is winter hardy and tolerates Alkaline soils better than any other variety. We recommend this variety for colder areas of the Pacific Northwest above all other varieties. Shuksan is good news for Idaho, Colorado, Utah, etc.. Totem is winter hardy also, but Shuksan blooms a little later, thus protecting the fruit from late frosts. Virus tolerant and Red Stele resistant. Does not demand perfect drainage.

Chandler:

Patented Variety. Fruit is long conic to long flat wedge. Glossy and very firm skin with very firm flesh. Good dessert and freezing quality. Plants are semi-erect and runner production is excellent. Susceptible to Red Stele, Leaf Spot, and Leaf Scorch. Used commercially in California. Also recommended along the Gulf Coast and Florida. A good fresh market berry that ripens early.

Sequoia:

Developed by University of California. Sequoia was developed to be a shipping berry but it lacked the shelf life of a shipper. The production and berry quality were so good they released it anyway. Very large, dark red berries with real good flavor. Fair to good quality for dessert and freezing. Some nurseries list Sequoia as an everbearer but this is not strictly true even though it behaves like an everbearer in California and similar climate areas. It is actually an extremely long season Spring Crop when grown as far North as Oregon. In areas safe from early frost, Sequoia is the earliest Spring Crop on the market and it keeps bearing fruit several weeks after the typical Spring Crop is gone. Hardy in zones 6-9.

Tioga:

Developed at the University of California and released in 1955. Tioga has been underrated in the Pacific Northwest. Tioga has attractive berries that cap well. Tough, glossy, smooth, medium red skin with yellow seeds. Very firm flesh with very good flavor. Good dessert quality and an excellent shipper. One of the best for freezing and commercial use. Vigorous, heavy producing plant. Moderate. resistance to leaf spot and leaf blight. Not resistant to Red Stele. Tioga is also exported internationally because of its wide geographical adaptablility. Tioga is worth trying anywhere a strawberry will grow.

Totem:

The Totem strawberry originated in Canada. Firm, conic, bright red berry. Totem is the hardiest, most disease resistant berry. Unfortunately the fruit turns very dark when ripe and the stem tends to fall off easily when picked. This is fine for canneries, but not acceptable for fresh market use. Totem will do well in the coldest climate a strawberry can tolerate, except it blooms earlier than Shuksan, which could cause poor fruit set on the first picking. Totem does not tolerate alkaline soils as well as Shuksan. We note this because the cold high desert country of the Pacific Northwest lacks the acid soils of Western Oregon and Washington. Any PH higher than 7 will require soil amendments like aluminum sulphate to lower the PH.

Sumas:

Released from the British Columbia Strawberry Breeding Project in Vancouver, B.C.. Sumas has been bred to be a processed, June-bearing cultivar with good yield and plant vigor. In various grower trials throughout the Pacific Northwest, Sumas yield was higher than Benton, Hood, Northwest, Rainer, and Shuksan. In Oregon trials, Sumas displayed less blossom freezing damage than Totem but more than Benton. Low temperature cold stress - Sumas was significantly better than all other varieties named above. Sumas Fruit have bright exterior and interior color. Fruit maturity can be 7 days earlier than Benton and 3 -4 days earlier than Totem. Fresh fruit are attractive with a slightly aromatic flavor which is considered superior to Totem which can be acidic. Fruit size is maintained better over the season, a feature that cultivars such as Shuksan do not possess.

Red Crest:

ORUS 4930 - Evaluated at North Willamette Experiment Station. Seedling came from the same Background as Benton. A processing berry high in acid, which improves quality and color in jams and jellies. The fruit is red all the way through, and is an acceptable freezer berry. Plant lacks the vigor of the Benton and grows low to the ground. Flavor superior to Benton. Midseason ripening, comes on before Benton and after Totem. Benton is still the hardiest and most vigorous variety. Red Crest is Oregon's newest release.

Camarosa:

We recommend this berry to our Southern customers. It is very worthy of trial in the Pacific Northwest because Camarosa is a huge berry of show quality and the flavor is good. Dishes are being dressed up with edible flowers, Camarosa would make a great centerpiece embellished with those flowers -- as would many of the small fruits! Chandler has done well as a fresh market berry in the Pacific Northwest and Camarosa shows the same potential.

Puget Reliance:

Recent release from Washington State. Very high yield potential. Softer juicy berries may become a home garden favorite. Large soft fruit comparable to Hood.

Puget Summer:

New release. Late variety. Fruit ripens late making this a fresh market or home garden variety. Strong fruit stalks keep the fruit in the leaf canopy off the ground. Large berry, berry is larger than Totem. Sweet berry, great for eating off the vine.

Nanaimo:

Recent release from British Columbia. Beautiful conic (pointed) berries much like the old Northwest variety. Great freezer berry and should out yield Totem!

STRAWBERRY DESCRIPTIONS- SPRING CROP VARIETIES - EASTERN

Guardian:

Introduced from the USDA and Maryland Station in 1959. Guardian is popular for good soil disease resistance and good yields. The first berries maybe misshapen and lacking in quality but overall, has been acceptable for commercial and pick your own use. Large, conic, glossy, light red fruit. Flesh is lighter than skin. Excellent flavor. Good for desserts, preserves and canning. Only fair when frozen due to light color. Medium size plant; Moderate runner producer. Resistant to five races of Red Stele, Verticillium, Leaf Scorch and mildew. Moderately susceptible to Leaf Spot. Midseason. Hardy in zones 4 - 8.

Honeoye:

Introduced by the Geneva Station in 1979. Large, conic, bright red fruit with average firmness and above average quality. Flavor is tart but good. Excellent berry for freezing. High yields and a long fruiting season make this a popular commercial variety. Also excellent for pick you own operations and home gardeners. This variety is very winter hardy and vigorous. No resistance to soil diseases and susceptible to Verticillium and Red Stele. Tolerant of Leaf Spot, Leaf Scorch, and Fruit Rot. May develop off-flavor on heavy clay soils.

Kent:

Developed at the Kentville Research Station in Nova Scotia. Large, firm, conic berries with long stems and dark red throughout. Mild, subacid flavor with very good quality. Excellent variety for fresh eating, processing, and freezing. High yielding vigorous plants with excellent runner production. Kent may require heavy mulching since the berries tend to rest on the ground. Extremely winter hardy. Resistant to Verticillium Wilt and Leaf Spot but slightly susceptible to Powdery Mildew. Ripens midseason. Produces heavily in the Northern areas of the Northeast and Midwest.

Glooscap:

Glossy red, medium sized fruit. Good for fresh market and freezing. Good yields with vigorous runners. Performs best in cooler climates. Will ripen midseason.

Sparkle:

Introduced from New Jersey in 1931. Medium, short, conic, dark red berries with yellow seeds and large caps. Mild subacid flavor with excellent quality for eating fresh, freezing, and preserves. Sparkle will produce a good crop if thinned. Blooms late so is rarely affected by frost. Does well on most soils and extremely well on clay soils. Lacks the size of fancy market berries but fine for home gardeners and pick your own operations. Resistant to Red Stele and Leaf Spot. Susceptible to Verticillium. Ripens late; extra hardy.