Berry Planting Calendar by Zone

In most of the US, dormant bare-root berry plants go in during early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, and potted or tissue-culture plants go in after the last frost. The big exception is the warm Southeast and Florida, where strawberries are planted in fall and blackberries in mid to late winter. The table below groups extension guidance by hardiness zone, but your local extension office's timing beats anything here.

A caveat about using zones for timing

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is based on one thing: the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, shown in 10°F zones and 5°F half zones. The 2023 edition uses 1991–2020 data. It tells you whether a perennial is likely to survive your winters. It does not describe your frost dates, summer heat, rainfall, or chill hours.

That matters for timing. Extension services give planting dates by state or region, not by zone, so this page maps their advice onto zone groups as a rough guide. Two places in the same zone can need very different calendars. Oregon State advises planting strawberries as soon as soil can be worked in early spring, while NC State recommends mid-September through early October in the North Carolina Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Parts of both regions sit in similar zones.

Use the table to know what season to plan for. Then check your state's extension guide, and your last frost date probability, for the actual week.

Planting windows by zone group

Sources for each cell are linked in the sections below.

Strawberries

In the North, strawberries are a spring planting. University of Minnesota Extension gives April–May for dormant transplants and May–June for potted ones, and notes that mulched, winter-hardy varieties are hardy in Zone 4, while Zone 3 plants need extra cover. Illinois Extension recommends March or April so plants establish before summer heat. The University of Maryland gives March or early April when the soil begins to warm.

In the warm South, the calendar flips. NC State's spring crop starts with plug plants set in early fall. In Florida, UF/IFAS says strawberries are planted from late September to early November and grown as an annual crop rather than a perennial, in both commercial and home production.

For variety types and growing systems, see growing strawberries organically.

Raspberries

Raspberries follow the same dormant-versus-green rule nearly everywhere they grow well. UMN Extension says early spring is the best time: bare-root plants in April–May as soon as the soil can be worked, potted plants in May–June after frost. Penn State advises that dormant stock go in early spring and tissue-cultured plugs after danger of frost. Illinois Extension says the same for dormant versus tissue-cultured plants.

Heat is the limit in the South. The Southeast regional caneberry guide says raspberries produce well in the Southeast at elevations above 2,000 ft, and that long stretches of summer heat weaken plants over time. Texas A&M AgriLife reports that raspberries can be grown in Texas under shade cloth, but that commonly recommended varieties performed poorly in their trials. In zones 9–10, treat raspberries as an experiment.

More on cultivar types in growing raspberries organically.

Blackberries: dormant vs. potted

The distinction between dormant and actively growing plants matters most for blackberries, because you can buy them both ways.

Dormant bare-root plants can handle cool soil and light frost. The Southeast regional caneberry guide says early spring planting of dormant stock is acceptable in most regions, and that early fall planting is possible in warmer areas if the soil is still warm and not too wet. Oklahoma State notes that planting can happen any time during the dormant season, though most is done in February or early March. In Texas, AgriLife specialists plant dormant bare-root blackberries in mid to late winter. Oregon State says to plant as early as you can work the soil in spring.

Tissue-culture plugs and potted plants have green, tender growth. The caneberry guide says plug plants should not be planted until after the last frost date, and warns that plants set late in spring can suffer from drought and drying winds. The University of Maryland adds that tissue-culture plants might not be acclimated to freezing temperatures when sold. Texas AgriLife allows container plants any time of year, with early spring best.

In zones 3–4, blackberries are a stretch. The University of Maine says thornless blackberries are not hardy below -10°F and recommends the thorny 'Illini' as the best home-garden option; it also advises against fall planting in Maine. Illinois Extension suggests most semi-erect and trailing thornless cultivars only for southern Illinois, or with winter protection farther north.

In zones 9–10, the question is not cold but chill. UF/IFAS reports that central Florida averages only about 250 chill hours. Cultivar choice matters more than planting date there; see blackberry chill hour requirements.

Before you plant

Timing is only one part of a good start. Buy certified, virus-tested stock where you can; UMN Extension notes that a virus-infected fruit plant will never recover. The berry viruses and clean plants page covers what "certified" means. The Growing Berries Organically hub links every berry page on the site, including growing blackberries organically.