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Strawberries are a delicious red fruit with little seeds surrounding the outside. These delicate and flavor-packed fruits are produced through white flowers and are notorious for being difficult to grow. Some strawberry varieties excel through the winter months, while others require temperatures consistently above 60 degrees. If you are interested in how to grow strawberries quickly in strawberry planters then keep reading below to find out more!
Types of Strawberry Planters
As stated previously, one of the most common ways to grow strawberries, especially for people with small spaces, is baskets. Not only are baskets adorable and stylish, but they are also compact and allow for the most amount of growth.
Stacking Baskets
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Recently many major retail stores have started offering stacking baskets for gardeners in small spaces. These stacking baskets are great for gardeners who live in an apartment or a home with limited space in their backyard. For those looking to save space while also producing an abundance of strawberries, stacking bakers is the way to go.
Stacking baskets require a minimum of two baskets in the shape of three cylinders. The shape varies of course, depending on the manufacturer, but the idea is the same. These baskets stack on each other and provide three openings each for plants to grow alongside each other. Since strawberries need to be pollinated to produce fruit, pairing strawberries with flowers alongside the stacking baskets is a great way to attract pollinators.
They also look really cute! Stacking baskets give some space for a dangling effect, even if it’s on a small scale. Any plants that are planted and cultivated there do best if they can dangle. The only downfall for this option of basket containers is that the strawberries run the risk of damage when they touch the floor as they dangle. This is not a guarantee, of course.
Hanging Baskets
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Hanging baskets are a personal favorite of ours! We use them often in our own gardens to save space and add more color and texture to the garden. Hanging baskets are baskets that hang from ceilings or higher surfaces, and can be in any shape, although they are typically round.
Since proper drainage is needed, these baskets are usually made up of a dark wire with an interesting design. The design used differs, although we have seen many leaf shapes and hearts. The inside of the hanging basket is then covered with moss-like fabric that is breathable and also holds up the plant as well as the soil.
While the metal line look is a favorite, there are also hanging baskets made with a durable and thick plastic material. This hanging basket, like other containers, needs to have a drainage hole that properly reduces the water. Strawberry plants do not like to have too much water, and should not be watered every day. If they are, they are likely to stress and die, or suffocate due to the lack of oxygen.
Dangling Baskets
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Dangling baskets are similar to hanging baskets, since the flowers and green foliage of the strawberries hang from the container. However, dangling baskets are attached to a surface and dangle, as opposed to a ceiling.
Dangling Baskets are a great container type for individuals who do not have any space left. They can be hung on the outside of your porch, letting your strawberries catch more light. This is especially needed as spring approaches, when the strawberry flowers develop and need further pollination. Dangling baskets also provide the strawberry plant with room to stretch and further grow their roots.
Flower/Raised Beds
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For the lucky gardeners that have a lot of space in their back or front yards, they can grow various strawberry plants in a flower or raised bed. One raised bed that is 8 feet by 8 feet can harbor over 16 strawberry plants. Imagine all the strawberries produced!
This option is great for individuals who want to grow a large supply of strawberries, and have the time to continuously pick them. Fun fact, the more strawberries you pick as they ripen, the more strawberry flowers push through! As you take strawberry fruits off the plant, the energy is allocated back to the rest of the plant, including the flowers.
Quick and Easy Tips to grow Strawberry Plants
1. Add Egg Shells
If you have any eggshells to spare after cooking breakfast, crush them up and add them to your strawberry plants’ soil. The protein in the eggshells will decompose slowly and act as a natural fertilizer that will kickstart your strawberry plants.
2. Cover Your Strawberries Daily
Humans are not the only ones on earth that love to find and snack on strawberries. Pests and larger animals like rabbits are notorious for digging up and running off with strawberries if they can see them. Since the strawberry plant already has long and large leaves, tuck in the strawberry itself, so only the leaves dangle. While some smart critters may still notice and try to eat your strawberries, this will decrease the chances of it happening.
3. Cover the Soil with Mulch During Winter
Strawberry plants are unlikely to freeze during the winter, as they have been bred and modified with other strawberry plants to grow in harsh conditions. While this is the case, freezing temperatures and snow can still cause the roots of your strawberry plant to freeze. When this happens, there is only a limited chance your plant will live.
To give your strawberry plant a fighting chance, add thick mulch to the soil of your strawberry plant. Even if the leaves and flowers on your strawberry plant die, the roots will then be protected and will bounce back in spring.
4. Plant Local Wildflower Seeds
Strawberry flowers need pollinators to pollinate and produce fruit. Otherwise, there are only white flowers. While the flowers are beautiful, I am sure you would like to have strawberries as well. The best way to do this is by promoting and planting wildflowers local to your area to bring more pollinators. These include bees, wasps, moths, and butterflies. Not only will this help your flowers produce fruit, but it also helps the environment by bringing local varieties together, and spreading pollen to continue fertilizing plants.
How to Grow Strawberries from Seeds
After you choose the exact container type and seed, it is then time to move on to how to grow them from seeds. I prefer working with a seed tray, but you can use whatever you have at home. Fill your seedling tray or container with potting soil that is perfect for beginner seedlines, and lightly press down on the soil.
Once the soil is firm but not too compact that the water won’t drain, add two seeds to each section. While only one seed can grow and thrive in the seedling tray/section, you can always choose which one is doing the best. And although some seed packets and companies have a high germination rate, not all do!
The best time to do this is in late summer or early fall. Sowing seeds will not produce strawberries immediately, as they have a longer growing period and need to go through the long winter months first.
This is why it is important to cover your seedling trays with plastic wrap. In the plastic wrap, poke holes to allow for air and watering. The plastic wrap acts like a greenhouse, protecting the strawberry seedling from pests and overexposure to light— just water twice a week or when your strawberry plant’s dirt feels dry.
When Do You Move Seedlings to a New Pot?
After two months it‘s time for you to move your seedling into a new pot. Strawberry plants are dramatic and do not do well with change, but they will appreciate having more space to grow. Since this is the case, don’t worry if some leaves wilt or if it takes your plant some time to get used to its new container.
Before you can move it to a new pot though, you must begin bringing it outside. Since the seedling has only lived inside your home, it is not used to direct sunlight or the quality of air outside. If you simply place it outside in a new container, without it being acclimated to the outdoors, it will go into shock and die. To decrease the chances of this, it is important to bring your plant outside for 20 to 30 minutes each day, two weeks before your area’s last frost of the month. Once it has been two weeks, you can permanently leave it outside until you are ready to report it.
The roots of strawberry plants are not as delicate as they seem. Using the same potting mix, fill up your desired container. Once it is filled, place the seedling into the container and lightly pat the soil around it. Water the plant well, so that the roots adjust and grow into the rest of the soil. Over the next few months both flowers and fruits may be produced.
Should You Add Fertilizer?
This is a tricky subject. Some plant growers love plant food, and swear that the use of fertilizer helps in providing nutrients to plants that produce food. While this is the case, strawberry plants are temperamental, and if you give your plant too much of one nutrient or vitamin, it will become unhappy.
The best way to add fertilizer is to wait at least four to six months until after it has moved into a new container. Since regular potting soil has fertilizer and elements of plant food, if you add more, your strawberry plant may ingest too much, causing problems in the flowers and production later on.
If you want to add organic matter to your strawberries, coffee grounds are recommended. Sadly, strawberry plants are also loved by other animals and pests. But using coffee grounds by sprinkling them onto the leaves of the strawberry plant deters them away from the plant. This can help you in the long run as you harvest your strawberries during the season.
When Strawberries Are Ready?
Strawberry flowers during Fall and spring bloom and produce fruit throughout the season. It only stops once extreme temperatures begin. For example, strawberries during the winter are hardy, but they can still freeze. The plant knows the season, and will stop placing its energy into producing flowers. Instead, it will halt its growth until the early days of spring.
Strawberries are ready to harvest when they have changed colors. While it is tempting to grab and pluck strawberries from your plant before they are ready, the taste is not going to be the same. If you like more sour strawberries, then pick them when they have just started turning red. If you want them sweeter, you can ripen them in the fridge, or wait to take them until they are a vibrant ruby red. Of course, it depends on the variety as well. Not all strawberries ripen to a red. Some, like the pink variety, only darken to light pink. Either way, these strawberries taste delicious when harvested!
Can Strawberries Survive the Heat?
What happens to strawberry plants as the seasons change? In places where temperatures do not exceed over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, it is likely that your strawberries will either continue to produce, or stop and yet still live.
Strawberries go through the worst changes as the summer months roll in. The heat of the summer months, especially in places like Texas and Florida, is too much for strawberry plants. Instead of thriving, they struggle and die. Strawberries cannot survive the heat. Although you can try to give them water frequently throughout the day, the high temperatures and the scorching sun damage the leaves. Strawberry plant leaves are burned by direct sunlight above 80 degrees.
This is a problem for the plant, because the strawberry plant is protected by its leaves. The roots are really close to the surface of the soil, and the leaves and flowers of the plants protect them from harm. If the leaves are sunburned and die, then the roots are exposed to the harsh rays of heat. This can be avoided, though.
If you want to save your strawberry plant from high temperatures and sunburns from the sun, then simply bring them inside. If you have a windowsill and a water source, place the strawberry plant in indirect light and frequently water. When the temperatures drop again in the Fall, you can place the plant back outside, and it may even flower again.
All about Strawberries
Strawberries are part of the berries family. They grow as a crop that is low to the ground and famous for its difficulty. I personally have had my own fights and strugglers while trying to grow strawberries from seed; however, once they grew, they soared!
The History of Strawberries
Surprisingly, strawberries did not originally grow everywhere in the world. Instead, the first sighting and written documentation of garden-grown strawberries were in France during the 18th century. While this is true, that doesn’t mean that it was the first time a strawberry plant sprouted. For thousands of years, berries, specifically strawberries, have been widely produced throughout Europe.
Interestingly, in Rome thousands of years ago, the strawberry plant was alive and thriving, and yet it was merely used as an ornamental plant for decoration. Instead of eating the fruit that flourished throughout their lands, Romans dismissed it as a decorative plant. Understandably so, considering just how beautiful the strawberry plant blooms before producing berries.
Strawberries are one of the only frost and winter-tolerant fruit plants. This came as a surprise to farmers who grow them commercially now. Techniques similar to the techniques we see today were used when it was first cultivated. Back then, they covered the roots and leaves of strawberry plants during the winter with ice and wood. As it melted, the strawberry plants rose in spring and were the first to produce fruit.
Strawberries were not only found in Europe though. During the 1700s, the French and English created over thirty varieties of strawberries with seeds from the fruit. The most favorite variety, however, came from Chile, a sea away from Europe. This particular strawberry produced fewer strawberries per plant than the French variety, but the fruit was large, and the taste was sweeter. The issue was it was not hardy. During the winters, this Chilean strawberry plant died and rarely rose in spring after the frost. Using this variety, agriculturalists created another variety that is similar to what is sold today throughout the United States.
How To Grow Strawberries:
Unlike other fruits and vegetables, strawberries cannot be grown through propagation. However, they can be found in nurseries as fully established plants, or grown at home from seeds. The first step in figuring out how you would like to grow strawberries in your home is to find a variety that you would like. Some of the best varieties of strawberries currently grown now are Alpine Alexandria, Berries Galore Pink Hybrid, and the Chandler variety.
Alpine Alexandria
If you are looking for a strawberry plant that does well in small spaces, the Alpine Alexandria variety is just right for you! This variety grows an abundance of flowers and strawberries throughout spring to early June. The flowers are small, and the fruits are even smaller!
Don’t let the size fool you though; these tiny strawberries are filled with a sweet berry flavor that makes all the waiting and watching worth it. For growers who live in small spaces like apartments or townhomes, this variety works well, as it does not grow above 10 inches in height.
Berries Galore Pink
Like the Alpine Alexandria, the Berries Galore Pink Hybrid variety is a strawberry plant that is small and compact. The berries do not grow very large, and while they are still strawberries, they differ from the ones seen sold in supermarkets.
These strawberries, however, are unique because of their color and length of each strawberry. Instead of a ruby red, the Berries Galore Pink Hybrid is a pinkish-red strawberry variant that produces many strawberries, as well as little white flowers throughout the season. It rarely stops before the highs of Summer.
The Chandler Variety
The Chandler variety is quite different from the previous varieties mentioned. This strawberry plant does grow quite large, and is best suited for individuals who have a large space to grow, like a flower bed or backyard. The strawberries on this plant grow large, and are similar in appearance to the berries found in supermarkets.
The flowers are white, with a minimum of five large round petals. The taste is not the only wonderful thing that the variety provides though. Its flowers are gorgeous, and the stress both tall and wide in the Southern states of the U.S.
Where Can I Grow Strawberries?
Strawberries can grow in many different containers. Since each variety is unique and each seed requires different zones and maintenance, it is surprising that they all do well in different pots. Unlike some fruits and vegetable plants, strawberries are flexible and versatile. They can grow either tall or wide, and almost appear to dangle from containers. The most common container types include baskets, decorative containers, and flower beds.
Conclusion
Strawberry plants are not easy to grow, and they take some time! While this is the case, there are ways to speed up the process and increase the possibility of a fruit harvest. Since strawberry seeds don’t all germinate, placing two into each pod or container can increase the chances that one will grow. After this, proper care and management are necessary. Strawberries are dramatic and will wilt without water and nutrients but also bounces back nearly immediately after.
Planting food is a great pastime that teaches you valuable skills that will last a lifetime. It is also personal and personalized. You get to choose the variety you want. You also get to choose the exact container type and the soil. Each seed and container has a different purpose that is unique and yet fulfilling. Not everyone has a large space to grow, which is not a limit with Strawberry plants.
Cody is a fulltime blogger and gardener. His favorite activity to relax after a long day of writing is taking care of his plants and garden. For the past few years he have spent more time in the garden than inside so if there is one man you should take advice from its our dear Cody.
