10 Mara Des Bois Strawberry Plants – Everbearing Bare Root

Overview

Bring the joy of fresh, homegrown fruit to your garden with these Mara Des Bois strawberry plants. Known for their exceptional sweetness and intense fragrance, these French-bred everbearing varieties are a true delight for any culinary enthusiast or home gardener. Each order includes 10 Mara Des Bois strawberry plants, shipped as bare roots, ensuring a robust start for your berry patch. The ‘Mara Des Bois’ variety is celebrated for producing small to medium-sized strawberries with an attractive red color and a high-shine finish. Their incredible sweetness and aroma make them a specialty choice, perfect for fresh eating, desserts, or even commercial applications where high taste and berry fragrance are paramount. As everbearing strawberry plants, they are designed to provide a continuous harvest, gracing your table with delicious fruit from spring into the fall.

These resilient plants are an excellent addition to gardens across a wide range of climates, thriving in USDA Zones 4-8. Whether you’re an experienced grower or new to gardening, cultivating these fragrant strawberries is a rewarding experience. The bare root format simplifies planting, allowing the plants to establish quickly and efficiently in their new environment. Prepare to enjoy bountiful harvests of these delectable berries, transforming your garden into a productive and fragrant haven.

Key Benefits

Choosing Mara Des Bois strawberry plants for your garden offers a multitude of advantages, making them a top pick for fruit lovers and gardeners alike. Their unique characteristics contribute to a truly satisfying growing and eating experience.

• Exceptional Flavor & Aroma: The primary benefit of these everbearing strawberry plants is their unparalleled taste and fragrance. ‘Mara Des Bois’ strawberries are renowned for their intense sweetness and captivating aroma, often described as having wild strawberry notes, elevating any dish or snack.
• Extended Harvest Season: Unlike June-bearing varieties, these everbearing plants produce at least two significant flushes of fruit from spring through fall, offering a prolonged season of fresh berries. This continuous production ensures a steady supply for your family.
• Versatile Culinary Use: The exquisite flavor of these fragrant strawberries makes them perfect for a wide array of culinary applications. Enjoy them fresh, in jams, pies, smoothies, or as a gourmet topping for desserts, providing a taste of summer throughout much of the year.
• Attractive Garden Addition: Beyond their delicious fruit, these plants also add aesthetic appeal to your garden. Their lush green foliage and bright red berries create a beautiful visual display, enhancing the beauty of your edible landscape.
• Home Gardening Satisfaction: Growing strawberries at home provides immense satisfaction. From planting the bare root strawberry plants to harvesting your first sweet berry, the process is rewarding and connects you with nature.
• Disease Resistance: ‘Mara Des Bois’ is known for its good vigor and general resistance, making it a reliable choice for home gardeners seeking productive and healthy plants.
• Space-Efficient Production: Even in smaller garden spaces, these everbearing varieties can be highly productive, making them suitable for raised beds, containers, or traditional garden rows.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of your Mara Des Bois strawberry plants requires attention to a few key environmental factors and care practices. These bare root strawberry plants are forgiving, but optimal conditions will lead to the most abundant and delicious harvests of fragrant strawberries.

Sunlight & Water: Strawberry plants thrive in full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Choose a location in your garden that receives ample sun exposure. Consistent moisture is crucial, especially during fruiting periods. The soil should be well-drained but consistently moist. Aim for average moistness, avoiding soggy conditions which can lead to root rot. Deep watering once or twice a week is generally better than frequent shallow watering. During hot, dry spells, you may need to water more frequently. Good drainage is paramount, as strawberries do not tolerate standing water.

Soil & Fertilization: These plants prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH, ideally between 5.5 and 6.5. A rich, well-draining soil is essential. Amend your garden beds with compost or other organic matter to improve soil structure and fertility before planting. When planting your 10 Mara Des Bois strawberry plants, ensure the crown (where the leaves emerge) is at soil level. Fertilize lightly in early spring and again after the first fruiting flush with a balanced fertilizer, or one slightly higher in phosphorus and potassium to encourage fruit development. Avoid excessive nitrogen, which can promote lush foliage at the expense of berries. For growing strawberries, maintaining soil health is key.

Spacing & Winter Care: We recommend spacing your Mara Des Bois strawberry plants approximately 12 inches apart to allow sufficient room for growth and air circulation, which helps prevent fungal diseases. In colder climates (USDA Zones 4-5), provide winter protection by mulching heavily with straw or pine needles after the first hard frost. This insulates the plants and protects them from extreme cold and freeze-thaw cycles. Remove the mulch in early spring as new growth begins. Proper care will ensure your everbearing strawberry plants return year after year with delicious harvests.

Size & Details

This offering includes 10 Mara Des Bois strawberry plants, shipped as bare root plants. Bare root plants are dormant and arrive without soil, making them easy to plant directly into your garden beds or containers upon arrival. This method ensures that the plants establish quickly once they are in the ground and begin to receive water and nutrients. ‘Mara Des Bois’ typically produces small to medium-sized berries, known for their intense flavor rather than their large size. These everbearing strawberry plants will begin to fruit within the first year of planting, usually producing a crop in late spring to early summer, followed by subsequent flushes of berries throughout the summer and into the fall, extending your fresh berry season significantly.

The plants themselves will form a low-growing mound of foliage, spreading via runners to create a dense patch over time if allowed. Each individual plant can reach a height of approximately 6-10 inches with a similar spread. They are robust growers, and with proper care, you can expect a healthy patch of productive fragrant strawberries. These plants are ideal for a variety of garden settings, including traditional garden beds, raised beds, or even large containers, making them a versatile choice for anyone interested in growing strawberries at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these strawberry plants get? A: Each Mara Des Bois strawberry plant typically grows to about 6-10 inches tall and wide. They can spread further by sending out runners, which can be allowed to root to create new plants or trimmed for more contained growth.
• Q: Are these an indoor or outdoor plant? A: These are primarily outdoor plants, designed to thrive in garden settings where they receive full sun. While they can be grown in containers, they are not typically grown as indoor houseplants.
• Q: How much sunlight do these everbearing strawberry plants need? A: For optimal fruit production, Mara Des Bois strawberry plants require full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, these bare root strawberry plants are relatively easy to care for, making them suitable for both experienced and novice gardeners. Consistent watering and proper sun exposure are the main requirements for successful growing strawberries.
• Q: What condition will the plants arrive in? A: The 10 Mara Des Bois strawberry plants will arrive as dormant bare roots, meaning they will not have soil or leaves. This is a normal and healthy way for them to be shipped, ready for planting.
• Q: When is the best time to plant Mara Des Bois strawberry plants? A: The best time to plant bare root strawberries is in early spring after the last frost, allowing them to establish before the summer heat.
• Q: Will these fragrant strawberries survive winter in my zone? A: ‘Mara Des Bois’ is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8. In colder zones (4-5), winter protection with mulch is recommended to ensure their survival and healthy return in spring.
• Q: How long until these plants produce fruit? A: As everbearing varieties, you can expect your Mara Des Bois strawberry plants to start producing a harvest in their first year, typically from late spring through fall.
• Q: Can I grow these strawberries in containers? A: Yes, these strawberries are well-suited for container gardening, especially in larger pots or hanging baskets, provided they receive adequate sunlight and consistent moisture.
• Q: What does “everbearing” mean for these strawberries? A: “Everbearing” means these plants will produce multiple flushes of fruit throughout the growing season, from late spring into fall, rather than a single large harvest like June-bearing varieties.