High-value perennial berry suitable for Zones 4-8 using matted-row or plasticulture; requires well-drained soil, consistent moisture, intensive management for optimal yields of 5-10k lbs/acre.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- April (matted row) – April (matted row)
- Harvest
- Late May - early July – Late May - early July
- Frost-free days
- 150+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,500
Yield
- Typical yield
- 5,000 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 3 years
- Years to full prod.
- 2
- Labor
- 120 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
2 active buyers on record purchasing this crop.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "increasing".
Supply Below Demand
3 of 6 documented channels rate viability "strong". Sold into regional rather than national markets, fruit supply here generally trails that demand.
Multiple Buyer Channels
5 of 6 documented market channels rate viable or better (csa, farmers_market, retail, direct_to_consumer). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
4 viable direct-market channels (csa, farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, restaurant). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Specialty fruit segment; consumer demand for regionally grown specialty produce has been expanding.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 4-8; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 1500 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~25 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 150 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Perennial. Region's zone 5-6 winters deliver well over 1,000 chill hours, ample for temperate perennials.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 5 hardiness zones (4-8). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
Limited by frost-free season, high-severity risks. 6 criteria evaluated; 67% cited.
Limited by high-severity risks. 6 criteria evaluated; 67% cited.
Limited by high-severity risks. 6 criteria evaluated; 67% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- 3–9
- Frost-free season
- 150+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- 1,500+
- Winter chill
- 400–800 hours
- Rainfall
- 23.6–66.9 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 5.5–7.0
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- high sensitivity
- Needs cold-air drainage
- yes — avoid frost pockets
- Shade tolerance
- none — full sun
- Mature height
- not yet recorded
- Rooting depth
- 6 in
- Wind exposure tolerance
- not yet recorded
- Workable slope
- up to 12%
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
4 of 10 documented equipment items are crop-specific (40%) against a catalog median of 29%. Above-median share of purpose-built equipment, implying real capital outlay.
Storage Available
3 documented storage routes; at least one (Fresh cold storage) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~25 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
120 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Manageable with typical farm labor.
Processing Proximity
2 processor/cooperative buyers on record for this crop, 1 within NY/PA/OH.
Equipment Requirements
planting
General utility tractor for bed prep, cultivation, and mowing. Fixed cost shared across farm.
Forms raised plastic-mulched beds 6-8 inches high — essential for matted row and plasticulture strawberry systems.
Required for plasticulture (annual) production; lays plastic, drip tape, and forms beds in one pass.
Speeds transplanting of plug strawberries through plastic; 1- or 2-row models.
irrigation
Per-acre cost including drip tape, header lines, filters, and fertigation injector. Essential for plasticulture and beneficial for matted row.
Per-acre; critical in northern regions for bloom-time frost protection. Saves crops from freeze events down to ~24°F.
spraying
For fungicide (botrytis, anthracnose) and insecticide programs. 25-100 gallon tank common for small-medium operations.
harvesting
Picking trays (clamshells or quarts), flats, and rolling harvest carts. Hand-harvest is standard for fresh market.
Only used for processing-grade fruit (purees/IQF). Not applicable to fresh market, PYO, or direct-market growers.
post_harvest
Walk-in cooler to rapidly cool fruit to 32-34°F within 1-2 hours of harvest. Forced-air units improve cooling speed.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cold storage
Temperature
32–36°F
Humidity
90–95%
Max Storage
7 days
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
Temperature
32–36°F
Humidity
90–95%
Max Storage
14 days
Frozen (IQF)
Temperature
-10–0°F
Max Storage
365 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $19,200/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Above median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Total input cost $14,500/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $6,300/ac. Above the top quartile.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 2 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Net return per labor hour $39.17 ($4,700/ac over 120 hr/ac) vs catalog median $13.16. Above median.
Grants/Subsidies
Fruit crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $2//lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $18,000 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $2,000/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $1,500/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $4,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Penn State Extension Strawberry Production (matted row) (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
4 of 11 documented risks are high-severity (36%) against a catalog median of 36%. Risk load is manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
5 viable market channels of 6 documented, plus 2 named buyers. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
2 years to full production at $7,000/ac establishment cost. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 4-8 (5 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a fruit revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Complex of fungal leaf diseases (Mycosphaerella, Diplocarpon) that reduce photosynthetic area. Generally cosmetic unless severe.
Fungal disease affecting flowers and fruit, especially in humid conditions. Causes soft brown fruit rot and can destroy large portions of a crop during wet harvest weather.
Fungal disease producing firm tan-to-black lesions on fruit. Pathogen is seed- and transplant-borne and can wipe out plasticulture plantings in warm, wet weather.
Soil-borne water mold that rots roots, producing a red core visible when roots are cut lengthwise. Persistent in poorly drained soils for many years.
pest
Invasive fruit fly that lays eggs in ripening soft fruit, causing larval infestation and rapid fruit breakdown. A major threat in late-season day-neutral strawberries.
Piercing-sucking insect that feeds on developing achenes, causing "cat-facing" deformed berries with reduced market value.
Mite that feeds on leaf undersides causing stippling and reduced vigor. Populations explode in hot, dry weather, particularly in plasticulture systems.
Small weevil that severs flower buds before bloom, reducing yield potential. Damage most visible at early bloom.
weather
Open flowers are killed at 30°F; tight buds tolerate to 22°F. Late spring frosts during bloom are the single largest annual yield risk for matted row systems.
Crowns are killed below 10-15°F if unprotected. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles also cause frost heaving of newly planted transplants.
market
June-bearing harvest compresses into 3-4 weeks with berries holding only 2-5 days refrigerated. Oversupply collapses prices at peak season.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 32 kcal | 682,199 kcal |
| Protein | 0.7 g | 14,284 g |
| Total fat | 0.3 g | 6,396 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.7 g | 163,728 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | 42,637 g |
| Sugar | 4.9 g | 104,249 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Strawberry →
Avoid near, or plan around (45)
Grows with (4)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Eden Valley Growers
Eden, NY · 30.0 mi
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie View economics source →
68 tracked changes across 9 data categories
