Strawberries from seed

[Emma]

Hi,

I have set up 6 beds this year for Strawberries and have been looking in the catalogues etc to try and find a supplier. I was horrified at the cost as I will be needing about 150. Most of them wanted around a £1 a plant!!!!

Has anyone had any luck growing them from seed? Or know how long from sowing they are likely to start producing fruit. Any advice would be greatly welcomed as I've only ever bought the plants.
Thanks,
Em
x

[Lesley Jay]

Emma with every strawberry plant throwing out runners they soon multiply. I'm not sure how many plants I now have (it's alot) but last year I gave away well over 100 runners as well as keeping enough for myself to make two more twenty odd foot rows. I started with a couple of dozen. I can send you some runners this autumn if you like.

[nick the grief]

Emma,

Marshalls (I think) usually ahve an offer on of 50 pegasus strawbs for £20 or there abouts. Not sure what they are like but it's advertisesd as for the large garden/allotment. But it's LIke LJ says they thro loads of runners so if you bought about a 1/3 of waht you need & root runners every year you'll have a continuous supply, otherwise in 3-4 years time you'll be in the same position unless you plan on having acres of them!

[Emma]

I have been growing a lot, but however many I grow there never seems to be enough. I really want to be able to make jam and to freeze dry them to put ontop of homemade musuli. But the children or the slugs get to them first. I think I've got the slugs under control but I can't tell the children not to eat them and they can eat a lot of strawberries!!!! Especially in the summer when we are up there everyday. I figured that even if I grow too many there are loads of people willing to take them. I would just like to fill my lovelly beds I've prepared. I've spent so much on getting a greenhouse and some fruit tree's I'm looking for the cheapest option.

[nick the grief]

CHeapest option would be to ask around to see if someone up there has a any spare runners rooted then top up with some bought ones & root your own this year.

[bramble]

strawberries from seed.

Hi Emma,
I sowed a full packet of strawberry seed on 3 March and so far not a sign of them germinating. Don't know how long they are supposed to take as I bought them in Spain and can't read spanish, but will let you know if I have any luck.

[andrewo]

I would go for twenty runners, each will throw 1-3 runners this year and you will then have 60 plants - you need to have patience on this. Seed takes an age to germinate and needs a constant heat at this time of year.

[Lesley Jay]

In one of the seed catalogues it says to sow in January at 20c, keep moist and germination takes a few weeks.

[nick the grief]

The dull days dn't help either!

[andrewo]

I woudl leave them for another week or so but get some runner, just to be on the safe side, I am throwing out some strawberry plants - older than three years and I could strip them back and send them on as dry runners.

[cotton54321]

I am on my second try of growing from seed mainly out of curiosity than need as I already have planted my strawberry bed. However, as everyone else has mentioned it is really tedious and not very fruitful (no pun intended!)
Germination and survival is very hit and miss and I am just going to have to take runners for more plants I think

[bramble]

My strawberry seeds have germinated but they are so tiny i cannot see them doing anything this year. Bite the bullet and buy strawberry plants. They were selling them in Aldi's at the weekend. 6 plants for 6euro. 99 cents.

[WiZeR]

I've been meaning to look this up and keep forgetting, so forgive me for being lazy.

I take it that Strawberries are perennial ? I bought 3 strawberry roots from Wilko at the weekend and have planted them in an unused part of the plot as I hadn't done my research and didnt know if they needed a permenant home. Like Emma I want to grow masses of them which from reading above wont happen with just 3 roots.

Can stawberries, rhubarb and something like comfrey all exist in the same bed? I'd idealy like all my permenent stuff together.

[SueA]

Strawberries are perennial but some people replace them after 3 or 4 years as they can lose their vigour ( I don't, I just add a few more).You can increase your plants by growing the runners which will form from your permanent plants, long shoots with a few tiny leaves on the end will grow out of your original & you either peg them down into the ground or into a pot leaving them attached to the parent plant until roots have formed then detaching them.I would think rhubarb, strawberries & comfrey would all be O.K. together as long as you don't plant them too close, the rhubarb could shade your strawberries too much as could the large comfrey leaves.

[Janette]

I have grown some strawberries from seeds for the first time. Started them off in the Autumn and they look like very small runners at the moment. I have 12 plants from one packet of seeds so that is about a 50% success rate. Not sure if they will fruit this year but I will let you know.