A favorite fruit in nearly every culture and cuisine, strawberries are beloved for his or her sweet, juicy flavor and plump red appearance. And though many of us cook with them (and eat them) regularly, few have actually considered growing them themselves. Good news: It’s relatively easy and cheap to grow strawberries from seed. The plants, native to North America, actually aren’t that picky about where they grow, as long as you’ll meet their basic needs. confine mind, growing strawberries from seed may be a process—depending on your location and therefore the length of your grow season, it’s possible your plants won’t bear actual fruit until the subsequent year. Still, with proper care and patience, you’ll eventually reap the advantages , knowing you attended the delicious berries from their very beginnings.

When to start out Strawberries

Because strawberries are perennials, the plants will come annually. So taking the time to offer them an honest start will absolutely be worthwhile by the end of the day.

Bareroot strawberries are often planted anytime. But once you start strawberries from seed, you’ll want to stay them indoors within the early spring to assist them along until the last frost has passed. Simply press the seeds into a moist potting medium in seed starter trays, and permit several weeks for germination.

One major advantage of growing strawberries from seed is you’ll plant several different sorts of your choosing, as long as they will grow in your climate. But a drawback is you likely won’t have an honest harvest of fruit for a year after planting. this is often certainly a case where goodies come to those that wait.

Location

Strawberry plants can go almost anywhere. From indoor potted plants to outdoor patches and interplanted areas that require ground cover, strawberries aren’t picky. They also don’t grow very deep roots. So if you’ll find a spot for a container of any sort or designate a neighborhood of the garden, you almost certainly can put strawberries there.

A few planting site options include:

• Containers
• Hanging pots
• Raised garden beds

Most strawberry plant varieties do best with many sunshine, so make sure that your growing location gets a minimum of six to eight hours of direct sun per day. Also, confirm you’ve selected varieties that are hardy to your region, and countercheck their care requirements because not all varieties are often interplanted within the same growing conditions.

Tending Strawberries

Strawberries are often ever bearers, meaning they supply fruit to reap all season long. Or they will be summer-fruiting, having one big harvest.

To encourage the simplest growth from your plants, provide well-draining soil fed with organic compost or fertilizer. Also, adding a layer of mulch around your plants can help to dam out weeds that might compete together with your strawberries. Pull weeds as soon as you notice them, and prune off yellowed or browning leaves from the strawberry plants. This helps a plant get the maximum amount moisture and nutrients to the healthy leaves and fruits because it can, supplying you with a far better harvest.

Many gardeners pinch off the primary blossoms of their strawberry plants to assist direct the first growth into bushy leaves. A mature strawberry plant will likely be no quite 6 to 12 inches high. Strawberries do best planted around 12 inches apart, and if you’re using containers, a couple of plants to a pot is plenty.

Moreover, make certain to feed your plants with compost or compost tea after planting and harvesting, also as within the fall. you’ll considerably hamper plants at the top of the season to encourage new growth for subsequent spring.

Harvesting

As soon as strawberries turn red (or white if that’s the variability you have), you’ll harvest them. If they’ve gone a touch too long and are soft and mushy, they’ll still be excellent in jams and other cooked-fruit recipes. And if the birds are beating you to the harvest, consider tossing bird netting over your plants.

By tending strawberries carefully each season, you ought to be ready to get several years of life out of your plants.

YEAR-ROUND GROWING STRATEGY FOR STRAWBERRIES IN CLIMATES:

Late summer and fall. Plant strawberries in late summer when the times are cooling, but the soil remains warm. this is often the time of year older plants also will begin to revive. Fall isn’t the standard time to seek out strawberries in nurseries or garden centers; you’ll need to turn strawberry growing friends to offer you strong plants or established runners. Set plants into compost-rich, well-drained soil at an equivalent level they were growing before. don’t set the crown of the plant too high or it’ll dry out; don’t set plant crowns too low or they’re going to rot. Water transplants into place and adjust plants if they settle too deeply. Set plants about 12 inches apart allowing space for runners which will follow to fill within the bed.

Fall and early winter. Grow strawberries on during the cool time of the year. Keep the soil around establishing strawberries moist, but not wet. If leaves turn pale green with dark-colored veins ease abreast of the watering. Water strawberries to a depth of 12 inches then allow the soil to dry out for a couple of days. Adding aged compost around plants is that the best fertilizer you’ll give them; you’ll never add an excessive amount of compost to your growing beds. If you employ a billboard fertilizer, choose one rich in phosphorus and potassium and make certain to follow the directions and not overfeed plants.

When the weather turns cold, cover the bed with a transportable plastic tunnel–a sheet of clear plastic (4 to six millimeters thick) set over a frame of half hoops or wire construction mesh; strawberries can withstand a couple of nights of frost, but not a sustained freeze. make certain to ventilate the tunnel on warm days by opening the ends to fresh air. On freezing nights, put a tarp or blanket over the frame to stay it warm.

Strawberries will begin to flower and set fruit when the temperatures warm and days grow longer. If your strawberries are well established, you’ll expect plants to fruit abundantly until the temperatures climb into the high 80°sF.

Mid- to late-winter and spring. While the soil remains warm, spread straw around plants to stay the berries clean when plants set fruit. (You also can grow strawberries through plastic or garden fabric; set the plastic or fabric across the bed before planting.) Place straw around plants in order that air can circulate beneath. When strawberries begin to ripen make certain to see them every day; pick the fruit when it turns completely red but before it gets soft—it’s ok for the berries to be slightly white at the end; they’re going to still ripen for a couple of days after picking. If you don’t need new plants, pinch away runners and let established plants grow stronger.

Summer. Shade the strawberry growing bed during the summer to scale back stress on plants and to stay plants from burning or drying call at the summer heat. Replace the clear plastic sheeting atop the ring tunnel with 65 percent shade cloth, or place a thick layer of fresh straw atop the growing bedspread both plants and soil to stay the sun off the leaves. Again, water to a depth of 12 inches (you can check the water depth with a soil probe) allowing the straw to dry out between waterings; avoid too frequent waterings in order that snails and pillbugs don’t get comfortable within the strawberry bed and mold doesn’t begin to grow.

Year-round container growing. Hot summer region or any region, strawberries are fitted to container growing. Mobile containers will allow you to require strawberries out of summer heat and winter cold. Select a container that’s deep enough for strawberry roots—12 to fifteen inches—and well-drained. Terra-cotta or plastic strawberry pots with cup-shaped pockets round the sides are designed for multiple plants and a modest harvest. Water plants regularly, and feed plants weekly with a high potassium-low nitrogen fertilizer once flowering starts.