Using a ratio of 1/2 seed starting mix, 1/4 vermiculite and 1/4 worm castings, measure out all three ingredients into a bucket or potting tray. Vermiculite (or perlite) – (1/4 of total seed starting medium)Īlthough the seed starting mixes sold in stores may be used immediately for seed starting, I prefer to adapt them slightly to increase water retention while maintaining drainage and to add nutrients, since the store-bought mixes contain almost no nutrients.Worm castings – (1/4 of total seed starting medium).Seed starting medium, i.e Pro-Mix Seed Starting Mix.Use to my Seed Starting Calculator for specific seed starting dates in your area.Strawberries are very slow growing and need a long headstart before transplanting to the garden.12 to 14 weeks before the final frost date.Now that you’ve decided on the strawberries that work well for your garden, here’s what you need to know to begin growing them from seed. Some examples of day-neutral strawberry varieties include Albion, Tribute, Tristar and Elsanta. This ability to produce fruit continuously throughout the season and even as the days grow shorter is why they are known as day-neutral strawberries. Examples of June-bearing varieties include Earliglow, Alba, Avalon and Northeasterĭay-neutral – This strawberry type will set and produce fruit throughout the entire growing season, regardless of day-length and until the first hard frost. Strawberries in this category are typically larger than everbearing types and are typically the ones harvested at “Pick Your Own” farms. Depending on the variety, some will produce earlier or later than others. June-bearing – This strawberry type produces strawberries over a period of a few weeks and usually during the earlier part of summer, usually in June. Unlike other types, these strawberries tend to concentrate their growing energy on producing more fruit and less on producing runners. Varieties in this type include Alexandria, Alpine, Baron Solemacher, Calypso and Flamenco. Strawberries in this category fall under the species Fragaria x ananassa or Fragaria vesca. Types of Strawberries:Įverbearing – This strawberry type generally produces two harvests in one season, one in the spring and another in the late summer. As such, I continue to visit “pick your own” farms for all my preserving needs. ![]() However, they usually don’t produce enough to bring indoors because most get eaten in the garden and they don’t store well anyway. Personally, I love Alpine or wild strawberries and these will produce berries throughout the entire growing season. When choosing the right type of strawberries for your garden, first determine what you’re looking for?ĭo you want your strawberries to produce throughout the growing season, thereby compromising size for availability? Or would you prefer to pick the juiciest, largest berries right at the start of summer, but only for a few weeks? All of these factors may be considered when choosing strawberry varieties. ![]() Finally, I discuss transplanting your strawberry seedlings to the garden.Ī mixed harvest of everbearing strawberries. I also discuss the correct time for starting your seeds, tools required, the right seed starting mix, directions for seed sowing, pricking out into seed trays and strawberry watering requirements. I walk you through the different strawberry types, so you may select the ones that work best for your garden. In this post, I share how you can successfully grow strawberries from seed. Through experience, I learned that strawberries are quite simple to grow from seed, becoming my preferred method for growing them. ![]() ![]() Although I knew nothing of gardening during that time, I knew that strawberries tasted better when freshly picked.Īfter moving to the country, finding interest in gardening and building our first kitchen garden, I knew that strawberries needed to be included in my gardening plan. Those were fond memories for me and I continued to pick strawberries on my own, as I became an adult. I remember going strawberry picking as a child, filling up on berries right in the field and getting what I called a “strawberry-ache” from the sore tummy I always had afterwards. Ever since I was little, I have loved strawberries.
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