I carefully took some seeds from a strawberry I purchased at a market. I never grown before but thought, I'll give it ago. The seeds are so tiny that I really didn't bury them, just placed on the top of the soil and gave a light water, this allowed the seed to move down into the soil, but not too deep. From memory it took about 5-6 weeks for anything to show. I thought, this is not working but decided to leave them alone, keep putting them on the window sill in the sun & kept them moist. Eventually a tiny little green stem appeared, yeah!. They were very slow to grow at first, but as soon as they have a few leaves on them there growing sped up, I put out side for an hour a day then back onto the window sill. I just re-potted all 8 plants into larger pots using just potting soil and sheep pellets. I've just put them outside in the full sun and will keep them moist. Hopefully they will continue to grow ready to be planted out onto our new property up north, at the end of this year. Gardening can be experimental and so rewarding, not to mention therapeutic, just have fun and try anything as you might just get lucky. I can't believe I've waiting this long to grow strawberries. All I can say is just give it ago, and with strawberries, just be patient.
20 Mar 22 Jody Thomas (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I found a load of self sown strawberry plants (not runners) growing in my garden the year after I planted my heritage strawberry plants. They bushed up well but the leaves were smaller than a regular strawberry plant. They had tons of tiny, skinny strawberries; the taste was pleasant but more pungent than a regular strawberry but the texture was pulpy. I still scoff them whilst working in the garden. I would be inclined to make jam etc from them as they wouldn't be flash in a dessert...however, if its all you have they are still a good (if different) flavour and I am sure they have a good nutrient profile as they are very dark red and they are free!
05 Mar 22 Gretchen Brown (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Hi , loved reading your strawberry growing journey . I’m interested to know how you got the seeds ready to plant .
Did you extract them from the strawberry with tweezers ? They’re so tiny .
Did you dry them ?
I would love you to talk me through the process . Thanks v much
30 Apr 22 Cate (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Gretchen, I used a veggie knife to slice a thin layer of the strawberry - like peeling an apple - which gave me the skin with seeds attached. Put these on a paper towel and leave in a warm sunny place (I used a shelf in my greenhouse) for a few days. When the fleshy layer has dried, you can just hold it over a container and push the seeds off. Then put them in an envelope or plastic bag (sealed), and then in a paper bag or some other light-blocking method. Put in the fridge for 4 weeks. After that, remove the package from the fridge, and leave unopened on the bench for 24 hours (this is important). Then you can sow them.
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