The Little Garden Online

What size container should you use?
I’ve heard so many conflicting things about strawberries. You can cram a million of them into a strawberry jar 4 inches apart or use this as a guide:
4 plants in a 12-inch container
2 or 3 plants in a 10-inch container

Which are the best varieties to grow?
There are red alpine strawberries, yellow alpine strawberries, and white alpine strawberries. I switched to Alpine strawberries because I was tired of dealing with the runners on the full-sized strawberries. Alpines are also hardier. The berries are smaller and they are longer in the beginning of the season. It wasn’t until August that the berries got fat. The plants only grow 10 inches tall which is perfect for containers. If you prune away the dead leaves, they always look green and bushy. I have Alexandria strawberries growing right now.

I tried to grow seeds indoors, but that didn’t work out. You also have to put the seeds in the freezer for about a month to simulate winter. If you plant them in a seedling tray and cover them with plastic wrap, they will sprout in 5 days. The seedlings were so weak that they all died. Pinetree seeds, Johnny's Selected Seeds, and Territorial Seed Company all sell Alpine Strawberry seeds.

Plants can be ordered from papagenos.com. When ordering plants through the mail, some of them will be yellow by the time they arrive.

If you mulch the plants with straw or put them in an unheated garage for the winter, they will come back in the spring. Strawberry plants are good for about 3 years. I definitely want more of these plants next year. They grow and produce for the entire season, spring through fall.

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Contact Information:
E-mail: contact@littlegardenonline.com

Linda Nicastro
P.O. Box 155
Flagtown, NJ 08821-0155