Everybody Loves Strawberry But Does Everyone Knows How To Grow Strawberries From Seeds?
Strawberries are a fruit that is loved in almost every culture and cuisine. They are adored for their sweet, yummy flavor and plump red appearance. Strawberries are readily available at the market, but growing strawberries from seeds at home are significantly cheaper.
Strawberry plants are native to North America, but they are not too picky and can grow at any location as long as their basic needs are fulfilled. So if you know how to grow strawberries from seeds, it would be wise to do so. If you don’t, keep reading because we’ve got everything you need to know about growing strawberries from seeds.
Before going further, you should know that growing strawberries from seeds is a long process. It’s possible that your plants won’t begin to produce fruit until the following year, depending on the season’s length and location.
But if you keep patient and take good care of our strawberry plants, you will surely get delicious homegrown strawberries.
Keeping that in mind, it’s time to learn how to grow strawberries from seeds.
Best time to start growing strawberries
Strawberry plants are perennials, which means they die in the winter season and come back to life next season after winter is passed. You have to plant for once and keep good care of them.
Taking the time to get them off to a good start will be well worth the time and effort. December is a perfect month o grow strawberries from seeds. Before you start planting strawberry seeds, they must be stratified.
This means chilling the seeds for a period to aid germination. Place the entire seed pack in a freezer for two to four weeks. Remove the seeds from the freezer once they’ve chilled and bring them to room temperature.
Using these stratified seeds, you are ready to grow strawberries in a pot, garden, or any compact place with a suitable climate and conditions for strawberry plants.
Different varieties of strawberries
The first step in growing strawberries from seed is choosing your desired Strawberry Variant. Which strawberry variant has the best taste for you? Choosing the variant of strawberry seed is affected by many more factors such as your climate, requirements, location, etc.
Variant of strawberry
Before you start to grow strawberries from seeds, it is essential to understand the three types of strawberries. Which are?
June-bearing variant
Any strawberry variety list will include more June-bearing strawberry variants than any other. June bearers are extremely popular and widespread. They usually produce the highest strawberries in 2 to 3 weeks on average. Most June-bearing strawberry variants produce a harvest in June, hence the name.
On the other hand, Strawberry varieties are further classified as Late Season, Midseason, and Early Season. You can extend your harvest and enjoy fresh strawberries for longer by selecting strawberry plant variants that yield at different times of the season. June strawberries are commonly known by the name Garden Strawberry variety.
Strawberry varieties that bear fruit in June set fruit for 10 to 14 days.
Early Season strawberry variants typically begin bearing fruit in late spring. Strawberry varieties in the early midseason begin bearing fruit approximately five days after Early Season variants.
Midseason strawberry variants begin producing fruits about eight days after Early Season strawberry varieties. Late Midseason strawberry variants bear fruit about ten days after Early Season variants, and Late season strawberry variants bear fruit 14 days after Early Season varieties.
Click here to buy June-bearing strawberries seeds.
Ever-bearing variant
Strawberries that claim to be ever-bearing aren’t ever-bearing. They typically have two harvests yearly, one in the spring and one in the fall. Some ever-bearing varieties can produce three berry harvests under ideal conditions. Most ever-bearing strawberry varieties are also Fragaria x ananassa hybrids, although some are Fragaria vesca species.
Because most of the plant’s productive energy is aimed at producing multiple strawberry harvests, ever-bearing varieties produce fewer runners than June-bearing varieties. Ever-bearing strawberries are frequently planted in hill systems or areas with limited space.
Click here to buy Ever-bearing strawberry seeds.
Day-neutral variants
Strawberry plants that are day neutral are one of a kind. Unlike June-bearing varieties, day-neutral strawberries will produce a good yield the first year they are sown. When the temperature ranges between 35 and 85 degrees, they flower and set strawberries. During milder years, they will still be producing strawberries in October.
Day-neutral strawberry plants have the disadvantage of producing smaller strawberries than June-bearing and ever-bearing strawberry variants. Their fruits are usually smaller to medium in size, hardly ever exceeding one inch in length. Day-neutral strawberry variants are frequently planted in hill systems or areas with limited space.
Click here to buy day-neutral strawberry seeds.
Choose the variant of strawberry you want and use their seeds to grow strawberry plants.
Location for growing strawberry plants
Strawberry plants can be planted almost anywhere. There are various ways to grow strawberry plans from various ways, including in raised beds, pots, and also in gardens, as well as inter-planted in areas that require ground cover. They also do not develop deep roots. So, if you can find a place for a container or designate a corner of the lawn, you can probably grow strawberries there.
Some planting options are:
- Pots
- Raised garden beds
- Wall hanging pots
- Pallet gardening
Most strawberry plant varieties thrive in full sun, so make sure your growing area receives at least
6 – 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. Also, please make sure you’ve chosen hardy variants in your area and double-check their requirements since not all variants can be inter-planted in almost the same growing conditions.
How to sow strawberry seeds?
Now you know when the time to plant strawberry seeds is, and you have selected the variant of strawberry seeds you want to grow. Hence, you are ready to grow strawberries from seeds.
Sow the seeds thinly in seed starter plates, pressing them into a moist potting medium and barely covering them with the growing mix. Strawberries require light to germinate, so place the plate under grow lights. Germination can take several weeks.
So, be patient seeds can germinate in seven days to six weeks. Keep the seed plate between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t let the seeds dry out. Maintain an adequate flow of air to prevent dampening off.
Once the seeds sprout, position the grow light about 2 inches above the plant. Too much distance between the seedlings and the light results in thin, leggy plants.
Replant the strawberries into larger containers once the seedling has developed and formed three pairs of true leaves (the first leaves to appear are the cotyledon or seed leaves). Plants should be hardened before being placed on the lawn or in outdoor containers. Plant it after the last spring frost has passed.
One significant advantage of growing strawberries from seed is that you can plant different varieties as long as they can grow in your environment. However, you will likely not have a good fruit yield for at least a year after seed sowing.
Strawberry growers generally recommend pinching off the flowers the first year to lead the plant’s energy toward producing deep roots and a good, healthy plant. Fruit will be available in the 2nd and 3rd years. This is unquestionably a case of good things coming to those who wait.
Tending Strawberries
Provide well-draining soil enriched with organic manure or fertilizer to promote the best development for your plants. In addition, adding a layer of compost around your plants can help to keep weeds away from your strawberries.
It would be best to pull out the weeds as soon as they appear, and yellowed or darkening leaves on strawberry plants should be pruned.
Doing this allows the plant to provide as much moisture and nutrients to the healthy leaves and fruits as possible, resulting in a larger harvest.
Harvesting strawberries from plants
Strawberries can be harvested as soon as they turn red (or white, if you have a white variety). Even if they’ve gone too long and become soft and mushy, they’ll still be delicious in jams and other cooked-fruit recipes. If the birds are out-harvesting you, consider building a draping net over your strawberry plants.
You should be able to extend the lifespan of your plants by carefully caring for strawberries each season. Strawberry plants, on the other hand, have a three-year fruit production decline. To extend your strawberry bed, cut strawberry runners from the original plant and replant them.
Many people pinch off the strawberry plants’ first flowers to encourage the fast development of bushy leaves. A strawberry plant will be no taller than 6 to 12 inches. Strawberries grow best when planted 12 inches apart, and a few plants in a pot are more than enough if you use containers.
Furthermore, after sowing and harvesting and in the fall, provide your plants with good, well-draining soil amended with organic manure or feed them with compost tea. Plants can be significantly reduced during harvest to promote new growth the following spring.
FAQs
At what temperature do strawberry seeds develop best?
Strawberries require temperatures ranging from 50°F to 80°F and less than fourteen hours of sunlight to flower and fruit development.
What is desired pH level of the soil to grow strawberries?
Strawberries require a well-drained soil that is slightly acidic and high in organic matter. The pH of strawberry soil should be between 5.8 and 6.2. If the soil’s pH falls outside this range, essential nutrients will not be released to the strawberry plants. As a result, growth is stunted, and little to no fruit is produced.
How frequently should strawberries be watered?
Strawberry plants require daily watering, especially during the hot summer season and when they bear fruit.
Conclusion
Strawberries, the most popular fruit worldwide, are readily available everywhere in the market. Still, growing strawberries from seeds alone can be more relaxing and cheaper. Strawberries grown from seed may fruit in the fall of their first year, based on the duration of your growing season. Ever-bearing strawberries are those that produce fruit throughout the entire growing season.
In any case, maintain the strawberry plants well-fed because they are heavy feeders and mulch the beds with straw to keep weeds at bay.
Strawberries are one of the low-calorie fruits. They are delicious, healthy, and full of nutritional vitamins and minerals with brilliant fitness benefits.
We hoped that you got to know everything on “how to grow strawberries from seeds.”