So you've just purchased strawberry seedlings for your Farmstand—hooray! Strawberries are great because they are one of the easier fruits to grow and one of the most delicious. However Lettuce Grow still labels strawberry seedlings as an "advanced variety" because they are more sensitive and take longer to grow compared to most other plants on our menu.
This may be your first time growing strawberries so we put this handy guide together for you!
What to Expect
Strawberries take longer to mature than most other varieties. You can expect a 5-8 week growing window just for the seedling to get established and start producing flowers. Each strawberry flower can develop into a delicious fruit. The fruit will be fully mature 3-4 weeks after flowering.
The ideal daytime temperature for strawberries is 60-85°F, with cooler night temps between 55-65°F. Strawberries can handle winter weather in more mild climates but will not survive a freeze. In summer, if your daily average temperature rises above 95°F, the plant may struggle.
In healthy growing conditions, you can expect~10-20 strawberries per plant. If your strawberry seedling stops producing fruit after a few months, you should remove it from your Farmstand and transplant it to a soil garden or hanging pot. Strawberry plants can continue to produce fruit for 5 years but will slow fruit production after 3 years.
Growing tips
Familiarize yourself with our resource on basic troubleshooting for the essential steps to maintain your Farmstand, and also our page on growing advanced varieties. It is important to be familiar and consistent with the steps on these pages.
Here are a few more tips specifically for growing strawberries:
- Start your strawberry seedlings with a clean Farmstand and new water.
- If growing indoors, we recommend adding a fan to provide airflow. On hot days (over 90°F), try to provide some afternoon shade for your plants, and gently mist with cool water.
- Grow your seedlings for 2 months, then perform a water change (pump as much water out of the tank as possible, and refill).
- As each strawberry plant grows, you'll notice new runners coming off your plant (as seen in the photos below). These should be pruned off so that all the energy and nutrients can be dedicated to the one plant you are growing, giving you bigger yields quicker.
- You can follow the nutrient dosing guide for the Farmstand or the Nook for the first 2 months (making sure to only add nutrients if you are also adding at least 1 gallon of water).
- After the first two months of growing, you may benefit from adjusting your nutrient dosing. When you dose your Farmstand for the next 2 months, we advise that you to use 1/2 of the recommended part B in order to keep the Nitrogen lower. Strawberries (and tomatoes during fruiting) prefer less Nitrogen than other plants. So if your dosing calls for 1 TBSP each of A and B, add 1 TBSP of A and 0.5 TBSP of B.
- If you are using a mechanical timer, you may want to slightly reduce the irrigation frequency in the first month after planting your strawberry seedlings (small strawberry plants don't need as much water as most varieties). Make sure that your grow medium never dries out, but consider reducing the water slightly during the first month, then proceed with our regular instructions based on your environment.
- Pest control is important for growing healthy plants, and especially important with strawberries. Pests love these delicious red fruits just as much as we do! The most common strawberry pests are aphids, spider mites, snails and slugs. See our page on Pest Management and ID and consider applying the Arber kit or the Plant Defense kit to keep your plants clean and healthy. Closely examine your plants weekly for signs of pests or diseases.
How to Harvest
Strawberries will be ready to harvest 3-4 weeks after blossoming. Harvest berries when they are fully ripe (bright red all around) as they will not continue to ripen once picked. Use scissors to snip the fruit at the stem and avoid pulling off parts of the plant that are still growing.
Strawberries will keep in the refrigerator for a 3 to 5 days. Only wash them right before you plan on eating them to maintain freshness. They are best enjoyed shortly after harvest with a friend!