Categories: Gardening

Growing Strawberries Indoors

Strawberries are one of those delectable little indulgences that a person either loves or hates. there are very few people that are neutral on the taste of strawberries, but for those that love them, they are a delicacy worth hunting. When they are in season, one can stuff themselves full of those wonderful little berries and feast on their sweetness, but when they are out of season the buyer should beware of the tart green berries that have been shipped in from thousands of miles away. Fortunately for the savvy gardener though, strawberries that are sweet and juicy are something that can be had almost year round.

It all begins with a container and a fairly good sized one at that. Now, the container can be anything from an old bucket to a fancy glazed pot. It can be picked up from the humblest of dollar stores or from the fanciest nurseries. Some of the bulk stores will even sell you a everything you need along with a specially designed strawberry pot for the gardener who want not just functionality, but a bit of style as well. So what does a pot have to do with strawberries? It all boils down to portability. If you want strawberries out of season, you have to be prepared to move them indoors when the weather gets too cool. That way those beautiful little plants will still think it is summer and keep on producing those wonderful little berries.

After you have you pot, put some dirt in it. Not just any dirt though. Spring for some good, high quality potting soil. Those plants will be working hard for you for a long time and you want to make sure they are well fed. Plus, since they are living in a confined area, they cannot spread their roots very far and find nearby nutrients like they could if they were planted outside. When you fill your pot, only fill it about three-quarters full. You don’t want dirt on your carpet do you?

Now it’s time to get your plants. Whether you choose to buy plants or seeds is up to you. Either way, follow the instructions when it comes to putting the plants in the pot. Some plants like to be buried deep while seeds might not like it if they are too far down. They may feel tired when they finally break through to the sun. Some thought should also be given to what type plant you would like. Red Alpine strawberries grow great in pots and are very orderly little fellows. They don’t make much of a fuss or much of a mess. Their wild-child cousin though, the White Alpine strawberry, feels the need to explore the world and will send out feelers to reach out and touch whatever is near them, even if it is your stereo. Bottom line, make sure that your strawberry meshes well with your personality. You hippie types might not like appreciate the straight laced Red Alpine.

Once you have those little fellows into your pot and planted according to instruction it is time to give them a good kick in the pants to send them on their way. Give baby their first bottle and feed them some diluted plant fertilizer. Use the liquid kind and make it about half strength to give your new adopted children that boost they need to get started in this world.

After all that, those strawberries will pretty much take care of themselves. If you planted the right and loved them well, they will grow strong and health and soon you will be able to start eating their young. That is if you don’t treat them like a mushroom and feed them, well, anyway make sure they get plenty of bright sunshine, water, and continue to give them a weak fertilizer bottle every couple of weeks. Before you know it, those little guys will be giving you flowers and in a few months you will start seeing baby berries–sweet, baby berries.