Strawberries are one of the simplest fruits to cultivate indoors. Cultivating them indoors lets you control variables like light and temperature, as well as keep out annoying outdoor creatures who are only interested in stealing your strawberry shortcake. Continue reading to learn how to grow strawberries indoors.
Can you grow strawberries inside your house?
When growing strawberries indoors, entire rooms or just a windowsill can be allocated, but be careful not to overcrowd the plants or they will succumb to disease or mold. Sunlight is, of course, essential for growing strawberry houseplants.
What is the best way to grow strawberries indoors?
We get a common question about how to grow strawberries inside, so here are the best step-by-step instructions!
- Buy seeds that are ready to plant or freeze them for a month. Any particular freezing instructions mentioned on your seed packet should be followed. It’s possible that fresh strawberry seeds plucked from a ripe strawberry won’t need to be frozen.
- Fill the growth container halfway with potting soil and top it off with filtered water. Add just enough water to make the dirt clump together, but not so much that it becomes mud.
- Plant the seeds in room-temperature soil after progressively thawing them. When growing strawberries indoors, carefully follow the planting directions on the seed packet. Make sure you don’t put the small seeds any deeper than recommended. Dust the seeded layer with a little more soil after placing the seeds on top of the soil.
- Lightly water the newly planted seeds. Saturate the soil, but don’t use a rush of water that erodes the soil. Gentle watering is required while growing strawberries from seed.
- Place the seeded container in an area with at least 6 hours of daily sunlight.
- If the soil becomes dry, water the seeds every two or three days. While the seed germinates and creates the initial sprout, it is critical to water it regularly. The optimal conditions for seed germination are moist soil and mild temperatures.
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How to grow strawberries that produce fruit?
The day-neutral strawberry varieties are the best to grow indoors. These are effective since they are not affected by the length of time the sun is out. The best thing about day-neutral plants is that they can be grown throughout the year. The disadvantage is that they don’t produce a lot of fruit. As a result, it’s a good idea to grow many plants so that you can reap more benefits.
How many hours of light do strawberries need indoors?
Strawberries cultivated inside benefit from at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day or 12 hours of artificial light per day. Six hours of natural sunlight may be attainable in some indoor growth circumstances with ample sunlight, but it may be difficult to achieve during northern winters or with less-than-ideal natural light. If your strawberry plants don’t have access to a bright, sunny window, add artificial light, such as a compact LED plant light.
A fluorescent tube or tiny LED light can easily grow healthy strawberries indoors for a few strawberry plants. Many home strawberry growers like to leave the plant light on for 12 hours during the day and then turn it off for another 12 hours (nighttime). Some plant lights even have timers and automatic switches built-in.
Tips for growing strawberries indoors
Growing strawberries inside can be rewarding, but it comes with its own set of obstacles. Here are some helpful tips!
- Once the plants are established, cut back on the watering. Strawberry plants that have been grown like water, but not in wet soil. Allowing the soil to dry out for a day or two after the plant has established itself is useful.
- Use a paintbrush or a cotton swab to hand-pollinate each flower as it appears. Pollen from the outer ring of the flower’s center to the very center of the same blossom should be mixed together. This will combine the exterior male and interior female parts of the flower. Two flowers can also be rubbed together to transmit pollen between the male and female sections of the flower’s center.
- Any runners that are escaping your container should be cut off or replanted. If you use an alpine variety, your plant will produce very few runners.
- Use a good organic fertilizer to feed the plants on a regular basis.
How long does it take to grow strawberries indoors?
Strawberries grown from seeds indoors usually provide ripe strawberries 5 to 6 months after the seeds have germinated. Purchase strawberry seedling plants for faster results.
When you buy seedling plants, they may already have blooms or immature strawberries growing on them. While it normally takes 4-6 weeks for the flowers to produce ripe strawberries, the berries that are currently growing may be close to being ready. Growing strawberries indoors from bought seedlings can be virtually instantaneous with the right plant!
