Sugar is generated due to heat. In the commercial strawberry fields here along the Southern California coast, the fields are "mulched" with black plastic sheeting to absorb the heat and transmit it to the soil and surrounding air. Too much direct, not sun can damage the fragile berries, but warm soil and warm air provide them with all the heat they need to ripen. The coast here is often quite foggy and frequently cold compared to the inland heat. When it's 100+ inland, it can be forty, sometimes fifty degrees cooler along the coast. In those cooler, damper, foggier climates, the only way to grow sweet berries, citrus and tomatoes is in pots, preferably seated on stone or masonry surfaces to collect, reflect and radiate the heat not provided by the air. Perhaps you're experiencing similar issues?

If it's the plant material preventing your berries from ripening, I'd think it would be due to their preventing the air and soil from warming. You might try thinning the foliage and runners toward the center of the planting box to provide more sunlight to the cooler parts. Hopefully that should warm them enough for you to begin seeing ripening in those areas. Good luck! Kim

I think you'll be fine. Strawberries are native to the NE, grow like weeds, and spread like wildfire. If they seem to be healthy they will ripen in time. I'm staring at mine and it seems like they take forever to ripen. Granted I'm in a colder zone, but we've had perfect strawberry weather, and I still don't have a ripe one yet either. Did you fertilize in the fall? What type of soil in the bed? Photo?

Hi there,

Thank you for your replies! Here are some photos. Perhaps the bed itself is too long/too big? They do seem to be ripening now...I just thought they'd ripen all at once, so I could make jam. Is it weird that they seem to be ripening very slowly, with white berries more toward the middle? I am sure you'll see why things may be amiss, and thanks very much for offering your take.

Here's a photo of the entire bed. I couldn't post more than one photo at a time...still figuring out the site.

No, not even June bearing ripen all at once. I remember the college boys that raised them when I was a kid nearby had an annual strawberry picking fundraiser that would last about 4 weeks.

Okay, I spoke too soon.

I feel such a sense of wonder and awe.

Yeah, you're good to go. Our first few junebearers are ripening slowly, but they will kick into gear as you found out. Good luck with the jam making. We'll be making ours soon. BTW nice little strawberry patch. Just be careful with the fertilizer this fall...they don't need much.