Strawberry
Also known as: Garden strawberry · Fragaria × ananassa
2 types of strawberry
Alexandria
Year 1 from seedalso: Alpine strawberry, Fragaria vesca
Runnerless alpine strawberry — small, intensely aromatic red berries all summer. Comes true from seed, unlike hybrid garden strawberries.
Mignonette
Year 1 from seedFrench alpine strawberry — tiny, wild-flavored red berries on compact clumping plants. Ideal edging or container plant.
When & where
Germination
Spacing & depth
How to plant
From seed: cold-stratify 2 weeks in the fridge, then surface-sow on damp mix. From crowns: bury only the roots, keep the crown at soil level — buried crowns rot.
Grower's tip
Pinch first-year flowers to build strong roots and a huge year-2 crop.
Soil preferences
Deep, rich, well-drained soil with high organic matter.
6.0–6.8 for most; strawberries and blueberries prefer 4.5–6.0.
Compost annually; mulch with wood chips for perennial fruits.
Watering
1–2 in per week; deeper as plants establish.
Soak the root zone, not the foliage. Drip irrigation is ideal for long-lived plantings.
Overwatered: fruit split, root rot, mushy fallen fruit. Underwatered: shriveled berries, dropped flowers, sunscald.
Prefers top-watering — Top-water at the base with drip; overhead water rots the crown and spreads gray mold on the fruit.
Temperature tolerance
70–85°F (21–29°C)
55–70°F (13–21°C)
Tropical fruits (passionfruit, pepino, naranjilla) frost-tender. Temperate fruits (pomegranate, fig, sea buckthorn) tolerate hard freezes once established.
Container growing
Possible with the right cultivar
10+ gal (38 L) for tree fruit; 3–5 gal for berry canes; 12 in deep for strawberries
Choose dwarf or patio cultivars for containers; overwinter tender types indoors.
Succession planting
Perennials fruit on their own schedule — no succession. For annual fruiting (tomatillo, ground cherry, roselle) treat like a warm-season vegetable.
Detailed harvesting
Pick fully ripe — fruit sweetens on the plant, not the counter. Test with a gentle tug; ripe fruit releases easily.
Post-harvest storage & preservation
Refrigerate soft fruit unwashed 3–7 days. Freeze on trays, then bag. Dehydrate slices at 135°F. Jam or preserve surplus.
Culinary, medicinal & other uses
Fresh eating, jam, wine, syrup, drying. Use imperfect fruit for cooking; keep the best for the table.
Medicinal or traditional uses are shared for interest only — this is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before using any plant medicinally.
Seed saving
Most perennial fruit are insect-pollinated and often not true-to-type from seed.
Named cultivars must be propagated by cutting, division, or graft to stay true.
Rinse seeds from ripe pulp; dry 1–2 weeks. Many need cold stratification before sowing.
Your zone's planting calendar
Pick your USDA hardiness zone and we'll estimate the key dates for strawberry in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
From your kitchen — grow strawberry from what you already have
Easiest with runners (baby plants on stolons), not seed. But you CAN grow strawberries from the seeds on a store berry — patience required.
- 1From runners: peg a rooted daughter plant into a new pot with a hairpin; sever from mama when it's rooted.
- 2From seed: dry a very ripe berry a few days, scrape off the seeds with a knife, and cold-stratify them in the fridge on damp paper towel for 4 weeks.
- 3Sow surface-scattered on damp seed mix; press in, don't cover. Germinate at 65–75°F under light.
- 4Seedlings are tiny — pot up when they have 3–4 true leaves; fruit the following year.
Storage: Runners give you named-variety clones; seed gives you variable seedlings (a fun experiment).
My Strawberry notes
Strawberry seeds on hand
Track packets and loose seeds you already have. Private to your account.
Par level — leave at 0 for no alert. Anything below par shows on Seed Starting and your shopping list.
Order more seeds
Running low? Reorder from one of these seed stores.
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