Strawberry farming in India: open field, polyhouse or hydroponic?

Strawberries were the first crop Triton ever grew. Our original pilot, in an open system with vertical towers at Sainik Farms in Delhi, produced strawberries before we'd built a single greenhouse, as YourStory reported back in 2017. A lot of what we've learnt about protected cultivation since started with that crop.

Here's how strawberry farming works in India today, and where each growing method fits.

Where and when are strawberries grown in India?

Strawberries like cool days and cooler nights, so in most of India they're a winter crop.

• Main regions: Maharashtra (the Mahabaleshwar–Panchgani belt is the best known), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Planting: generally September to November in most regions, once the heat has broken.
• Harvest: through the winter into early spring, depending on region and variety.

Which varieties are grown?

Commonly grown varieties in India include Sweet Charlie, Winter Dawn, Camarosa, Festival and Chandler. Choice depends on climate, whether you're targeting early fruit, and whether you sell fresh or to processors. Good planting material matters enormously, and much of it is still imported or sourced from specialised nurseries.

How do the growing methods compare?

Open field

Strawberries on raised beds, covered with plastic mulch, watered and fed by drip.

• Pros: lowest set-up cost, well understood.
• Cons: fully exposed to rain, hail and temperature swings. Fruit touching wet mulch or soil rots easily, and a single unseasonal rain can wipe out a week's picking.

Polyhouse or tunnels

The same beds, under cover.

• Pros: protects fruit from rain and hail, cuts fungal disease, extends the season at both ends.
• Cons: higher cost; ventilation must be good or humidity brings grey mould.

Soilless (substrate or hydroponic)

Plants in grow-bags or troughs of cocopeat, often raised to waist height, fed by drip fertigation, usually under protection.

• Pros: no soil-borne disease, very clean fruit, easier picking, precise feeding and more consistent quality.
• Cons: highest set-up cost; needs real skill with fertigation.

What goes wrong?

• Rain at harvest. The single biggest cause of loss in open-field strawberries.
• Fungal rot and grey mould, made worse by poor airflow under cover.
• Weak planting material, which caps yield before you've started.
• Selling everything in a two-month glut, when prices are lowest. Protected growing helps spread the harvest.

Buying or growing?

We supply strawberries and blueberries to retail, HoReCa and wholesale buyers. If you're a buyer, talk to our supply team. If you're planning to grow, see our greenhouse and commercial hydroponics services, or read the most profitable crops for hydroponics.