Growing strawberries can be a great way to get fresh fruit into your family’s diet. Even children that just won’t eat fruit will grab the berries they have grown with their own hands and gobble them down, learning that fruits are tasty along the way.
Growing Strawberries
Start growing strawberries by purchasing plants at the local nursery or garden center. You might choose to order them online, but whatever method you use, obtain them in the very early spring. If you live in a very warm climate, you can plant them in fall, but most of the world must plants strawberries just after the last frost has passed.
Because strawberry plants can carry viruses that can kill the plant and spread throughout the garden, select plants that are certified to be free of disease.
If you plant your strawberries outdoors, you should select a site with good drainage, full sun and which will warm up well in early spring. Generally, a south-facing slope is perfect, but any location with soil that drains well and the sun shines directly on the plot can work. You can also grow strawberries in containers or raised beds; here we will focus on plants placed in the ground.
Strawberry Bed
Be sure your strawberry bed is well cultivated to at least one foot in depth. Remove weeds, debris, large sticks, and stones. Amend the soil with compost and cured manure to provide the rich nutrients required for lush, plump strawberries.
Place the plant’s strawberries
Dig a hole for your plant which is about seven inches in width and depth. Place the plant into the hole, making sure the roots are buried but the crown is at the same level as in its previous container. Set plants in rows about 1-1/2 feet apart to allow plenty of growing space. Because strawberries multiply using runners, you’ll need space for these new baby plants to thrive.
Check on your plants Periodically
As you go about growing strawberries, you’ll need to check on your plants periodically and be sure no pests have made a feast of your fruits. Keep the space between the rows open by taking away the outermost runners and placing them elsewhere. Just snip the runner and dig up the roots, replanting the baby plant in another location. It may well fruit before the season ends.
As your original plants are harvested, remove them from the plot and allow their newly rooted runners to have the space occupied by the “mother” plant. Be sure to harvest all fruits before the first frost, but ideally, grab each berry just as it ripens.
How to grow Strawberries Indoors
To grow strawberries indoors is not as difficult as you may think.
Strawberries are well known for being very robust plants and certain varieties even prosper in harsh wilderness conditions.
However, they are just as well suited to being grown indoors.
This makes strawberries a great plant for beginners to the indoor gardening lifestyle .
Information to get started growing strawberries indoors in your home
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Choosing & Planting the seeds
What you need to know about which seeds you should pick for the best crop.
With strawberries, it is very important to choose the right variety for indoor growing. You must choose a variety that is robust and can deal with the naturally changing temperatures of a regular household. It is also a good idea to ensure that the seeds/plants you choose are of the ever-bearing variety. This ensures a good yield of fruit 3-4 times a year from a single plant. They can also deal with varying lengths of light during the day as the year progresses.
Strawberries do not need deep soil as they grow lateral, so each plant will need to be about 6 inches apart.
Choose a plant that does not need to be hand-pollinated where possible (hermaphroditic).
Note – The runner fewer varieties are also helpful as they are more space-efficient and will not try and grow into their neighboring plant’s pot!
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Light & Temperature
How to provide the correct environment for your plants to ensure growth.
Strawberries require a moderate temperature that is usually maintained within an average household at most times in the year, whether by heating systems in the winter or by the heat of the sun in the summer. This is around 18-20 degrees Celsius (65-68 degrees Fahrenheit).
Most sunny windows will provide enough light for a strawberry plant. Low light levels, especially in the winter months can be supplemented with a strong artificial light.
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Watering
Watering techniques specifically for strawberries.
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Feeding & Nutrition
How to make sure that your plants get all the nutrients that they need to survive and produce juicy fruits!
Feed your strawberry plants with a Plant food containing 15-20 percent Nitrogen. You should feed your plants twice a week but reduce feeding over the winter months.