Growing strawberries from seed is possible, though less common than planting bare-root plants or runners. This method is a more involved undertaking, requiring patience and specific horticultural techniques for successful germination and establishment. For home gardeners interested in unique varieties or the challenge of starting plants from their smallest form, the seed method offers a rewarding path. This guide covers the genetics, sourcing, and necessary steps for propagating strawberries from seed.
Where to Find Strawberry Seeds and What Varieties Are Available
Strawberry seeds are available from specialized seed companies, online marketplaces, and sometimes local garden centers. Dedicated sources stock seeds for specific varieties that grow reliably true from seed, even though seeds are not the primary commercial method of propagation. The most commonly available and genetically stable seed-grown type is the Alpine strawberry, Fragaria vesca.
Alpine strawberries, also called wild or woodland strawberries, produce smaller, intensely flavored fruit and naturally send out few to no runners, making them ideal for seed propagation. These seeds yield plants that closely resemble the parent, a characteristic known as growing “true to seed.” Other options include certain F1 hybrid varieties, which are bred to exhibit traits like continuous fruiting or ornamental flowers.
F1 hybrids offer uniformity in growth and harvest time, but seeds saved from their fruit will not produce identical plants due to hybrid genetics. For larger, more familiar fruit, gardeners can find seeds for everbearing or day-neutral varieties, which produce fruit throughout the season. Finding seeds for the large, commercially dominant Fragaria x ananassa types is less common because they are almost exclusively propagated by cloning.
Comparing Strawberries Grown from Seed Versus Runners
The primary reason strawberry seeds are less widely used than runners is the difference in time to harvest and genetic outcome. Growing from seed involves sexual propagation, where plants inherit genetic material from two parents, leading to variation in fruit size, flavor, and plant vigor. Conversely, runners represent asexual propagation, where the new plant is a genetically identical clone of the mother plant, ensuring consistency.
The time required to produce fruit is the main distinction for most gardeners. A bare-root plant or runner, which is a rooted clone, is already established and often yields a harvest within the first year. Plants started from seed typically require one to two years before they are mature enough to produce a substantial crop. The initial effort is also higher with seeds, demanding careful germination, while runners are simply transplanted.
The commercial preference for runners stems from their speed and guaranteed genetic makeup, allowing growers to quickly establish a uniform field of high-yielding plants. Runners are generated by the mother plant sending out long stems that form a new plantlet at the node, which then develops its own roots. This method ensures the farmer is planting a proven variety with predictable harvest characteristics, a reliability that seed-starting cannot always match outside of specific Fragaria vesca varieties.
Starting Strawberry Seeds: Essential Germination Steps
Strawberry seeds are extremely small and require specific conditions to break dormancy and begin growth. A necessary step for many varieties is cold stratification, which simulates the natural chilling period of winter. This mechanism prevents the seed from germinating prematurely. To perform this, seeds are placed in a sealed container, often mixed with a moist medium like sand or paper towel, and kept in a refrigerator for three to four weeks.
Once stratification is complete, the seeds must be surface-sown onto a moistened, fine seed-starting mix, as they require light for germination. The tiny seeds should be gently pressed onto the surface but not covered with soil. Placing the tray under a strong light source, such as a grow light or a bright windowsill, is necessary to meet the light requirement.
Maintaining consistent moisture without oversaturating the soil is crucial during germination. The optimal soil temperature range for sprouting is between 65°F and 75°F. Germination can be a slow process, often taking two to six weeks, demanding patience. Once seedlings develop a few sets of true leaves, they can be transplanted into larger containers to allow root systems to develop before moving them into the garden.