These articles are written to apply to the northeastern corner of Illinois. Problems and timing may not apply outside of this area. Gardening catalogs often contain a variety of small fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, and others. Small fruits are named from the fact that edible fruit is produced on a small perennial plant. All small fruit crops will need full sun and a well-drained soil.
Strawberries are probably the most popular of the small fruits.
The best use of everbearing cultivars would be for container gardening. In general, they do not produce as well as spring bearing varieties. In choosing spring bearing cultivars from catalogs, consider not only dessert quality but also disease resistance. Red stele and verticillium wilt are major disease concerns. Examples of cultivars with both good quality and resistance to both diseases would be Earliglow, Delmarvel, and Allstar.