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Teeny Strawberries

August 18th, 2014

I’ve grown strawberries from seed a few times before, it’s the only way to acquire some varieties for your garden unless you’re lucky enough to know someone else growing them that will give you plant. Many years ago I started seed for golden strawberries and have had them in my garden ever since. Their tiny yellow berries have a tropical flavor and are quite good on salads.
yellow_strawberry_harvest
I also started ‘Tarpan’ strawberries from seed many years ago and brought one plant with me when I moved. It produces beautiful pink flowers all summer long, the berries are also good.
tarpan_strawberry_blooming 3
This year I purchased strawberry seeds once again for ‘Elan’, which is a day neutral strawberry and ‘Gasana’ another day neutral variety with pink flowers.
strawberry seeds 3
Strawberry seeds are tiny, very tiny and there are usually only 10-15 in each seed packet.
strawberry seeds 4
I sowed them in containers and waited. Soon enough the tiny seedlings emerged. It’s amazing to see these little plants, the first set of true leaves look just like strawberry leaves but they are so very small.
strawberry seeds 1
strawberry seeds 2
I can’t wait to see how these plants produce next year. I’m always game to have new varieties of fruits and vegetables in the garden, especially when I can nurture a plant from a tiny seed.

Have you started anything interesting from seed this summer?

6 Comments to “Teeny Strawberries”
  1. Nebraska Dave on August 18, 2014 at 9:34 am

    Susy, seriously? Strawberries from seed? You totally amaze me. I didn’t even know that strawberry seed existed to buy. This has been my first year to grow onions from seed with success. Learned it from you. I’ve been reading your blog for a long time and through out that time I’ve changed my whole approach to growing some of the vegetables that I never knew could be grown from seed. Now you have done it again. You’ve blown my mind with a new concept of growing strawberries from seed. What’s next?

    Have a great strawberry seed sprouting day.

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  2. Colleen on August 18, 2014 at 11:16 am

    First….I must say I agree with everything Nebraska Dave wrote. Yes, you are amazing, and no, I didnt know strawberry seed existed. I have (briefly) thought about it while eatting a strawberry, but now, because of you, I know the facts. In our area we have huge strawberry farms, I know they do not grow their plants from seed. The most interesting thing we have tried to grow from seed lately were parsnips and stevia. The parsnips are still in the ground. The stevia leaves are quite sweet, but other that experimenting with growing them, I’m not really sure the best way to use or how to make them into a sweetner.
    I would be interested in your strawberry seed growing tips. Do you plant them in the spring or? I see you planted them in containers, do you plant them in the ground at some point? Are they hardy to winter over outdoors the first year? Are these varieties small berries, like you have shown, or does it depend on the variety?
    Thanks for making us all a little wiser.

    Reply to Colleen's comment

    • Susy on August 18, 2014 at 12:07 pm

      I don’t know if I have any tips for growing berries from seed, patience is good as they can take 2-3 weeks to germinate. I will move these to the ground in a month or so when they are small plants. They should overwinter easily, though I might mulch them with pine needles for added protection since they will be very small. These two varieties should offer berries of normal size.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  3. Sara on August 18, 2014 at 11:29 am

    Very cool! I love growing something new every year just to keep things interesting. This year the flashy ones were cheddar cauliflower–and romanesco broccoli but those haven’t headed up yet. Oh and some turnips but they aren’t as glamorous. I also tried some seeds from my prairie plantings which was only moderately successful but was a fun experiment.

    Reply to Sara's comment

  4. Sarah on August 18, 2014 at 11:52 am

    I’ve grown two types of alpine strawberry from seed (they don’t send out runners). It is SO much work to get the seeds started, they’re so delicate and it’s so dang hot here. I think I watered them (sprayed actually) every day for probably 3 months and they were still just quarter sized.

    I will say the tiny strawberries are my son’s favorite. I’m not a fan of the yellow ones because I can’t figure out when they’re ripe.

    Reply to Sarah's comment

  5. Spy Garden on August 23, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    I grow those same yellow strawberries! I also started them from seed (several years ago) and now the plants are big, bushy and vigorous producers. Yum!

    Reply to Spy Garden's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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