Strawberry plants are a favored addition to many home gardens, offering a rewarding harvest for relatively little effort. Home gardeners typically acquire plants through established methods rather than attempting to grow from seed, which is slow and unreliable for varietal consistency. The two main forms available are dormant bare-root crowns and actively growing potted starter plants. Understanding where to source these plants is the first step toward establishing a healthy and productive strawberry bed. The choice of supplier often dictates the range of varieties available, the health of the initial stock, and the timing of planting.
Local Nurseries and Garden Centers
Acquiring strawberry plants from a physical retail location offers immediate availability and the chance to inspect the stock before purchase. Independent garden centers and local nurseries typically provide cultivars suited to the regional climate, having been tested for successful local growth. This localized knowledge often comes with expert advice from staff who can recommend optimal planting times and care routines.
These locations usually offer dormant bare-root crowns in the early spring, coinciding with the ideal planting season. A bare-root crown is the root structure and dormant bud, lacking foliage and soil, which allows for easy transport and establishment. Planting a bare-root crown while dormant generally results in less transplant shock compared to moving an actively growing plant.
Later in the season, after the risk of hard frost has passed, these stores transition to selling potted starter plants actively growing in a soilless mix. Purchasing a potted plant allows the gardener to assess the foliage color, look for signs of pests, and ensure the root system is well-developed. While large chain stores also stock strawberry plants, they may offer a more limited selection of common cultivars, making careful inspection especially important.
Mail Order and Online Specialty Growers
Sourcing strawberry plants remotely through mail order provides unparalleled access to a wide diversity of cultivars often unavailable locally. Specialty online nurseries frequently stock niche varieties, including heirloom types or those bred for exceptional flavor or disease resistance. This method is useful for gardeners seeking specific classifications, such as June-bearing varieties (one large crop) or day-neutral types (continuous fruiting).
Mail order requires foresight, as many reputable online growers require pre-ordering months in advance for spring delivery. These companies ship plants at the optimal planting time for the customer’s specific hardiness zone. Plants are almost always shipped as dormant bare-root crowns, packed in materials like sphagnum moss or shredded paper to retain moisture.
Receiving dormant plants minimizes shipping stress, as the plant is not actively relying on foliage for energy production. Upon arrival, the crowns should be immediately unpacked and checked for moisture; if the roots appear dry, they benefit from a brief soak in water before planting. Choosing a specialized grower is recommended, as they are more likely to provide certified, disease-free stock, which helps prevent the introduction of pathogens.
Sourcing Plants Through Propagation
For gardeners who already possess an established strawberry patch, new plants can be acquired without financial outlay through simple propagation methods. The most common way is by utilizing runners (horizontal stems called stolons) that the mother plant sends out during the growing season. These runners develop small plantlets (daughter plants) that root wherever they make contact with the soil.
To acquire a new plant, the gardener can pin the daughter plantlet to the ground near the mother plant or into a small pot filled with soil. Once the plantlet has developed a robust root system (typically four to six weeks), the runner connecting it to the mother plant can be severed. This creates an independent, genetically identical clone ready for transplanting.
Less frequently, new plants can be acquired by dividing older, established crowns, though this method is generally more stressful. Starting strawberries from seed is possible, but it is rarely done because the resulting plants often do not retain the characteristics of the parent plant due to genetic variability. Propagating from runners provides a reliable way to maintain consistent variety traits.