I grow strawberries hydroponically. I grow Camarosa strawberries. Here's a link to a supplier I use: http://www.groworganic.com/browse_378_Strawberries.html?welcome=T&theses=3937082

To answer your question: The "seeds" are the little things that get stuck in your teeth. Most are not viable.

Strawberry plants are propagated from "stolons" (little plants that form from the runners) or by dividing the "crowns" or by cloning.

I have had little success with cloning, but that works too. Since bare root starts are so cheap, that's how I replenish my crop. I am expecting several hundred plants to arrive this month.

Strawberries, by the way, need a yearly "dormant" cold recess.

Hope that helps. There is more information on my Web site; see my profile.

Hi
just wondering if there is a minimum time length (and temperature ) for this dormancy cold recess..
I did check your site but couldn't find anything on that subject.

Podpiper. I can only address field grown Strawberries. Your Ag extension service should have a list of those cultivars most suited to Michigan. Nourse is a Massachusetts outfit, so you should have somewhat similar climate. They are started form plants, only the little Alpine types are started from seed. The plants put runners called stolens which root all along its lenght and produce new plants. Once established these are used to start new beds.
Lucy, I don't know the conditions in Ireland, but supposedly it is cold. So I don't think dormancy would be a problem. They grow here into mid Florida, which has practically no winter. So a little cool weather and short day lenghts seem to suffice to induce the dormant period.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nourse Stawberries

Everbearing strawberry varieties will give you two crops each year--one in late spring and early summer and another in late summer and fall. 'Picnic' is an everbearing variety that is bushy and compact--the berries are medium-size and sweet.

The drawback to purchasing starts or runners is the limited varieties available--many commercial growers seem to offer the same varieties year after year. Seed can be started indoors 10 weeks before the last frost and should be producing as short as 4 months later. Indoor germination temperature is abut 60F--in 21 to 28 days.

Here is a link that might be useful: HarvestToTable.com

Last January, I started Fragissimo strawberries from seed. I believe they are a day-neutral variety because they produced a few berries all summer long. They were surprising easy to grow from seed (unlike the Lisianthus I started at the same time). Germination rate was near 100% although some of the smaller seedlings died. I kept the flat on the dry side due to a fungus gnat problem. By mid-summer they were producing fruit, then runners. I chose this variety because they have lovely pink blossoms. Most were planted in my perennial bed to fill spaces near the front. However, squirrels usually get to the fruit before I do. Some were planted near the June bearing varieties in the vegetable plot and produced a nice amount of fruit that are larger than Alpine varieties, but smaller than most June bearing. The only thing I didnÂt like was that a few of the blossoms were white or not fully pink. Below are pictures of their progress.



January 2008

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March 2008

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June 2008
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August 2008

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Thanks for the replies, I do already have a strawberry patch that gives us plenty of strawberries and I believe they are a early or a early midseason plant. I would like to get a variety that will give me something late or one that will give me fruit all season. Do everbearing varieties just continually produce until frost? And can I plant different varieties in the same area next to each other? My patch of strawberries is just that, there is no unform rows or anything Is there a way to actually prune it to get it into shape or should I just continue to let it go wild?

sprouts_honor, nice pics. Where did you get seed from? I think I will just order plants but i might try my hand at starting them from seed also, if I can get seed.

Dale

The term ever-bearing is a little misleading. Most ever-bearing strawberries have two (sometimes three) harvests per season. Varieties called Day-neutral produce a few fruits all summer long. Ever-bearing donÂt put out as many runners as June bearing and therefore are easier to maintain. I donÂt think cross pollinating is a problem with different types of strawberries grown near each other. But IÂve planted different types of June bearing together and itÂs difficult to determine which is which when runners are sent out in every direction.

I bought my seeds from Whatcom Seed company. Fragissimo is the first non June bearing IÂve grown in several years and it produced until the weather got cold. Plants that were in pots with green fruit were placed in the sunroom in early October until they ripened, then I put them back outside. It produced far more runners than I had expected.

Concerning your pruning or wild question, itÂs up to you. My Grandmother would just let her patch spread and we had so many berries IÂd get a bad sunburn picking them all. However, when her patch got old it produced less and less. There was no room for new runners and older plants didnÂt produce any fruit. It was also very hard to harvest in a thick patch. I try to keep the runners under control and pull plants after three years so there is room for new, more productive plants. I canÂt seem to keep them in rows and sometimes grow small gourds where there are bare spots in my strawberry patch.

Dale,

Earliglow is a good early variety. Annapolis is a very good early one too. Jewel is a good late variety [June]. Jewel grows so tall that I often have trouble with rotting if I get heavy rains in June[10th to 16th].

You can mow a patch after fruiting is over and till a strip for new sets to grow in or you can let them go a couple years and start over.

Everbearers sound good, but most people don't fare particularly well with them including yours truly.

So, do all strawberry varieties need to be culled(SP?) every couple of years to allow room for the new growth because after a couple years they stop producing?

Dale

Yes, all strawberries produce less fruit as they get older.

I agree with Wayne about ever-bearing. Unless you have small children that get excited about picking berries, alpine and ever-bearing varieties can be too much time and trouble. I grew the Fragissimo mostly because of blossom color, but was pleasantly surprised by the size and flavor of the fruit.

I have Cabin Fever!! Started seeds the last 2 weeks so I could play in the dirt.

The White Alpine Strawberries are up and most have a true leaf...have more on paper towels waiting for them to sprout.

I'm trying to decide how to pot them--thinking I might use vertical planting.

I have 100 Chandler strawberries coming the first of February...gotta get busy and figure where I'm putting them for sure. Thought of putting them in the bed with the raspberries that arrived this week.

Peggy

Peg, How do you like your raspberries? I was thinking of growing some of those also. Are they just bushes or vines?

Dale

Dale,
This is my first attempt at growing raspberries...will have to let you know about this one : )

Peggy

Gotcha Peg, Let us know how the come out.

Dale