Strawberry buckets

[monkeyboy]

Every spring/summer over the last few years, the likes of Tesco and Homebase offer a strawberry growing kit consisting of a metal bucket and I'm guessing seeds and fertiliser.

But when I've read online about strawberries, it appears that I would need to sow seeds in autumn for harvest the following year.

Am I missing something here?
Are these fast growing?
Are they a special variety?

Just wondering why they're not sold in Autumn. I was looking into growing strawberries for this year.

[veggiechicken]

They're overpriced and a bit of a gimmick!
L1dl/Ald1 will have plants for sale in spring - usually 6 for a few £s.

[It never rains..it pours]

Agree bit of a gimmick, growing strawberries from seed is hard work, much better to buy some autumn runners or spring plants as vg suggests, which will produce fruit and runners going forward for you

[Chris11]

Every spring/summer over the last few years, the likes of Tesco and Homebase offer a strawberry growing kit consisting of a metal bucket and I'm guessing seeds and fertiliser.

But when I've read online about strawberries, it appears that I would need to sow seeds in autumn for harvest the following year.

Am I missing something here?
Are these fast growing?
Are they a special variety?

Just wondering why they're not sold in Autumn. I was looking into growing strawberries for this year.

I haven't seen inside the bucket kits you're talking about, but there could be either seeds or bare root runners.

Standard strawberries are usually grown and sold by growing runners off of existing plants. The runners are also sold as bare roots, usually in a bag with a bit of compost. I'm amazed they survive very long like this, but presumably they do. They're cheaper like this by mail order, because there's no pot, which you supply yourself.

Alpine strawberries are different and smaller, and much more likely to be grown from seed.

[monkeyboy]

Thanks all. I did find it a bit odd. I've had a look online and this is the closest thing I can spot to what's normally sold: clicky

Looks like Strawberry Temptation F1 - sown Jan- May, harvested Aug-Sep. If there are varieties that I can sow in the next few weeks, I might buy some seeds and give it a go.

[monkeyboy]

To update - waste of time. Maybe I did or didn't do something but nothing grew.

[veggiechicken]

Did you buy the kit or the seeds?

[monkeyboy]

Did you buy the kit or the seeds?

Kit. Came with metal bucket (no drainage holes), seeds and compost. Followed the instructions to the letter. Nothing.

Don't know if it was the kit or if it was me.

[veggiechicken]

We tried to warn you not to waste your money.

[It never rains..it pours]

Cant say Im surprised, seeds completely failed me. Also have noticed runner difference on fruit coming this year. The 50p odd runners are loaded vs the 30p odd. All planted last autumn but the dearer ones were bigger crowns when arrived in post. Suspect dearer ones were early summer vs late summer runners

[SarrissUK]

I have had two packets of seed, from the GYO mag i think, and both failed to germinate. Nothing at all came up. Then a friend bought me a hanging basket from the same place as you, with strawberry seeds. They've germinated, and the biggest plant is probably about an inch and a half across by now. It's pretty clear they're not going to produce a massive crop this year.

[monkeyboy]

We tried to warn you not to waste your money.

That was swmbo's decision. Picked up the bucket even though I assured her it would be better to buy runners.

[veggiechicken]

You should have said that you'd do runners and swmbo could do the bucket and see who did the best.

[Squingy]

The seeds can be OK too.

I bought Jekka's wild alpine strawberry seeds which germinated well last yr, then I forgot the lot in a wheelbarrow and the poor little seedlings died of thirst.

Runners are easier and more Squingy proof, but they're pricier if there's no one who can send you a few.