Ok, I know this is very subjective and probably discussed before, but what is THE best strawberry variety? First, maybe we should break this down into June bearing and Everbearing.

I ordered a June bearing variety pack from Gurney's a few years ago that included Wynona's, Honeye, Delmarva Delicious, and Surecrop. I listed those in order of my favorites, Wynona being my favorite, Surecrop being the worst. My criteria is mainly taste and size. All those varieties have been very disease resisitant, have some firmness, and keep fairly well.

Wynona's seem to be consistantly large compared to all the other varieties I have. Very fruity taste, not too tart, and yield well. My wife and I love these.

The Honeye's didn't produce well during my first real strawberry season, the other's outclassed them in that regard. However, the following years have been a different story. They have been producing very well in following years, are a very tasty berry, and consistently produce medium to large size fruit. Another favorite.

Delmarva Delicious are VERY prolific. Shoot runners like crazy, very hearty plants, have TONS of berries, and the earliest of my four. Makes sense that these do so well in my area/zone, given the name. The are not the sweetest berries, not bad, but they do some tartness to them. Fruit size can run the gambit, producing the occasional large berry, but mostly medium sized, and quite a few small ones.

These are are great berries for deserts and freezing. My most productive berry by far!

Surecrops haven't lived up to the name. The berries are firm, but not too plentiful. Taste is so-so. I lose some of the older plants each year, and they don't thrive quite as well as the other's. I know this is a very popular variety, but it certainly doesn't work well for me.

I don't have any Everbearing , am I missing out on some good varieties?

I am always amazed at the HUGE fruit I'm seeing at the fruit stands and grocery stores lately. Some are getting well into the plum/peach size, and actually have some decent taste. I know the growing conditions play the largest part in the this, so I will keep that in mind, but I also know that selection will to have something to do with size. I'd love to try growing some of these. What varieties are producing the huge berries?

What are your berry experiences?

Thanks,

Craig Z.