Mara de Bois

Quick Facts

• Type: Day-neutral (everbearing) strawberry
• Season: Repeats from early summer into fall under good management
• Flavor: Exceptional, intensely aromatic flavor often compared to wild or alpine strawberries
• Berry: Small to medium, soft red berries with outstanding fragrance and dessert quality
• Plant habit: Moderately vigorous plants with lower yield potential than many modern day-neutrals
• Best for: Premium fresh-market sales, farm stands, and home gardeners who value flavor over volume
• Hardiness & disease: Performs best in well-prepared, fertile soil with careful irrigation and harvest timing to protect soft fruit

Mara de Bois is a gourmet day-neutral strawberry prized less for yield and more for its extraordinary flavor and fragrance. The berries are small to medium in size but deliver a perfume and sweetness reminiscent of wild strawberries, making them a favorite for high-end markets, chefs, and serious home gardeners. With repeated flowering and fruiting across the season, it can provide a steady trickle of intensely flavored berries from early summer into fall.

Production is lower than many modern day-neutral varieties, but the fruit’s quality allows growers to charge a premium that can more than make up the difference. Berries are softer and benefit from gentle handling, quick cooling, and short supply chains, which fits well with on-farm sales and local markets. For plantings where flavor is the top priority and yield is secondary, Mara de Bois is hard to beat.

For layout, spacing, and fertility tips tailored to day-neutral strawberries, see our Strawberry Spacing & Planting Guide before planting.