Grow Strawberries From Seed

This page will teach you how to grow strawberries from seed in your home garden. Who doesn't want sweet, juicy, red berries growing in their own backyard? We have been growing them for many years both here on the farm and in our yard in San Antonio where we lived for 18 years before moving to the country.

We sell strawberry seeds so we grow our strawberries from seed as well. Yes, we have also purchased strawberry starts and we have some of them growing. The starts tend to grow bigger berries than our Alpine strawberry seeds do. Both are good. We do not sell the starts. You can purchase our strawberry seeds here if you are interested.

One of our spring harvests from 2023. Growing strawberries from seed can be difficult. It takes up to 30 days for germination to occur.One of our spring harvests from 2023. Growing strawberries from seed can be difficult. It takes up to 30 days for germination to occur.

Grow Strawberries From Seed

This is what strawberry seeds look like next to a dime. They are tiny.This is what strawberry seeds look like next to a dime. They are tiny.

Strawberries love sand. Our soil here on the farm is 100% sand. We live in the Strawberry Capital of Texas in Atascosa County. Each year, farms all around the area grow beautiful strawberries for the Poteet Strawberry Festival.

We use trays and mini pots to start seeds. Never water on the top until the plant comes up because you will wash away the seed and not know it.We use trays and mini pots to start seeds. Never water on the top until the plant comes up because you will wash away the seed and not know it.

It all starts with a tiny seed, some sandy soil, and some mini pots in a tray. In the trays we use, we can fit 18 small pots into a germination tray. Fill each pot with sandy soil. Plant the tiny seeds about one quarter of an inch deep in the mini pots. Do not top water. Lift one pot out of the tray and fill the tray with water, allowing the water to seep up to the seed through the holes in the bottom of the pots.

Patience is key when you grow strawberries from seed. It can take up to 30 days for the strawberry seeds to germinate.

Grow Strawberries From Seed - Types of Strawberries

There are three types of strawberries. They are:

  • Day neutral berries
  • Ever-bearing berries
  • June-bearing berries

The small strawberry seeds that we sell are known as Alpine strawberries or woodland strawberries. They are day neutral berries. There are many varieties. These berries are about the size of the top joint of your little finger but they are sweet and delicious. Alpine strawberries do not grow runners. They tend to grow in clumps that get bigger as the berry plants grow older.

June-bearing and Ever-bearing berry plants put out runners, allowing your berry patch to grow.

We grow strawberries from seed every year. We sell some and others get planted in our strawberry patch which grows in one of our hoop houses. We do not pull strawberries up each year. We allow them to grow and get bigger. They produce strawberries during the spring and summer and then go dormant for the rest of the year.

In winter, when it gets cold, it is a good idea to cover your strawberry bed with two inches of hay to protect and insulate them from the cold.

Alpine strawberries give delicious, small to medium-sized, deep red berries the first year from midsummer until frost. They are perfect for growing in containers and hanging baskets which means if you don't have a large growing space, you can still have strawberries in your garden.

If you live in the city and you have a small balcony, hang a few pots up or use a rectangular window planter and grow some strawberries! The hanging plants look pretty and will provide fruit as well. In cold weather, you can easily bring the plants in and continue to grow them in your kitchen or on a table by a sunny window.

Alpine strawberries take about 30 days to germinate and about 120 days to produce edible berries.

If you choose to start these indoors under grow lights, sow the seeds thinly in March or April in a fine soilless mix. Press seeds into moist mix and keep moist until plants emerge in two to three weeks.

Keep the soil temperature between 60°F (16°C) and 75°F (24°C), if possible. Transplant to plug trays or 1-1 1/2" apart in flats, then to larger pots or planters for retailing full-size plants: 1 plant per 3 to 4 inch pot or 3 to 5 plants per 8 inch pot.

Transplant strawberry plants outdoors anytime, one foot apart so they have room to spread out and shoot runners. They are tolerant to partial shade, and they prefer moist soil.

The strawberries prefer a raised strawberry bed. I have built several in my backard. I made tiered beds, sort of like pyramids to make it easy to pick the fruit on each layer. A raised bed allows the soil to drain properly so the plants do not get overwatered and subsequently rot in the roots.

I made mine with boards nailed together in squares. Then I filled each square with sandy soil that the strawberries prefer. This was in San Antonio. Now, on the farm, I grow strawberries from seed in sandy soil under shade cloth so the strong sun is not overwhelming for the berries.

Return from Grow Strawberries From Seed to Grow Sweet Potatoes

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