Growing strawberries from seeds

Growing strawberries from seeds can be a little trickier than growing them from small plants.

They can take a while to germinate and tend to be slow growing. Many will only produce small fruits or small yields. You also need to forgo the crop in the first year if you want a much healthier plant and more vigorous crop the following year.

However, there are a number of varieties out on the market now such as ‘Elvira’ for early, and ‘Florence’ (later) that have been developed somewhat to address some of these issues

Growing strawberries from seeds
Start in early spring. Use a seed tray to start them off in.Seedlings will do best in a very slightly acidic soil – mix in a small handful of ericaceous soil to your potting mix or compost to give them a fighting chance.

Tip: The seeds are more likely to germinate if they have been sat in the freezer for a week or two before being sown.

Sprinkle your seeds onto the soil and then lightly sprinkle a thin layer of sieved compost or potting mix over them – just enough to cover the seeds.

Moisten with water (a spray bottle works well) and allow to germinate on a windowsill or in daylight for anything up to a month. Keep the soil moist to the touch but not wet, and do not allow it to dry out or they will die quickly.

Transplanting
Once the seedlings have achieved a third leaf, you can carefully transplant them to pots. If the weather is good, they should be fine outside, otherwise keep them protected and harden them off once the weather improves.

If growing them in containers, strawberries tend to do well if they are planted in small communities, so use a large container and plant several together in an evenly spaced gathering. Click here for more detailed information about growing Strawberries in Containers.

Pinch off the flowers
Strawberries will usually produce a few fruits in the first year, but ideally You want to allow them time to establish and become stronger, therefore during the first year, remove any flowers that the plant may produce.

If you allow it to put all its energy into getting stronger rather than producing fruit in the first year – it will thank you the following year by producing a significantly increased crop.

I hope these tips for growing strawberries have been useful. feel free to add your own comments and observations about growing strawberries below…

Also see my other growing strawberries article for information about disease and caring.