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Sparkle Strawberry (Bundle of 25) | Spring 2027
$74.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceResists 1 of 6
- ? Gray mold : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Leaf scorch : Unknown, no published data yet
- 4 Leaf spot : Resistant, 4 of 5
- 2 Powdery mildew : Susceptible, 2 of 5
- 3 Red stele : Moderate, 3 of 5
- 2 Verticillium wilt : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our berry disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Sparkle Strawberry is a strawberry plant rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), self-fertile, so one plant can crop, and it ripens about Jun 21 to Jul 7 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).
| Hardy to | Zone 3 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Chill hours | About 700 hours (500 to 1,000). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 5 of 7 (mid-late), late spring here. Strawberries set fruit on their own. Sparkle blooms late, which helps it dodge spring frost; the store finds it still overlaps Honeoye. Pollination Charts. |
| Ripens | About Jun 21 to Jul 7 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town. |
| Good for | Jams and jellies (9/10), canning and freezing (9/10), fresh eating (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it. |
| What you get | Bare root. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
Sparkle is perhaps right up there with Honeoye in terms of survivability. If you're in a very cold area, grow this alongside Honeoye (Zone 2), as Sparkle is hardy to Zone 3—potentially even Zone 2 if well mulched over winter.
Everything else we offer is Zone 3.
Great for Jam and Freezing
Sparkle isn’t the best for fresh eating, but for whatever reason, it makes fantastic jam and freezes well. Some of the other varieties that taste better fresh don’t hold up in jam quite like Sparkle does.
Later-Season Producer
Berries are small to medium in size and come on later in the summer. Hardy to Zone 3.
Planting Tips
These are sold bare root. Plant with Honeoye—their blossoms will overlap, even though Honeoye fruits slightly earlier.
Questions we get about Sparkle Strawberry
Does Sparkle Strawberry need a pollenizer?
No. Sparkle Strawberry is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Strawberries set fruit on their own. Sparkle blooms late, which helps it dodge spring frost; the store finds it still overlaps Honeoye.
How cold hardy is Sparkle Strawberry?
We rate Sparkle Strawberry hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
How many chill hours does Sparkle Strawberry need?
About 700 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 500 and 1,000. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Sparkle's late bloom helps it dodge frost. Like other June-bearers it still needs a real winter rest to grow strong. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
When does Sparkle Strawberry ripen?
About Jun 21 to Jul 7 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.
What is Sparkle Strawberry good for?
Our top use scores for Sparkle Strawberry are jams and jellies (9/10), canning and freezing (9/10), fresh eating (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Is Sparkle Strawberry disease resistant?
For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to leaf spot. It holds up moderately well against red stele. It's prone to powdery mildew and verticillium wilt. Nobody has published solid data on it for gray mold and leaf scorch yet, so we list those as unknown. Our berry disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
Will deer eat Sparkle Strawberry?
Yes, deer love it. Protect Sparkle Strawberry with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.
What arrives, and when does Sparkle Strawberry ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.
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Pollination, Bloom & Ripening
Disease Resistance