Grow strawberry plants indoors?
Is it possible to grow strawberry plants indoors? I have had one outside over the warmer part of summer (if you can call it a summer!!) and it produced a few fruit and had lots of little 'babies' which I planted in separate pots, I have brought a couple of these indoors in smallish pots. Is it possible to grow fruit on them indoors, if so how? Do they need to be kept warm etc?
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Strawberries can be grown indoors. The main consideration will be light. Strawberries like good light at least 6 hours a day. If you can't provide that, you will need to add some artificial lighting. If your house gets cooler than about 62 degrees (Farenheit, about 17 C ?) you will need to add warmth, otherwise they should be ok. Water and fertilize regularly.
thanks! I can provide light, they are in a bright window atm, it could get cool in that room though, if it does I will move them to a warmer window!Hi Fruit & Veg.
Although the strawberry will continue to grow through out the year if it has the right conditions I think that you may have problems getting it to initiate fruit bud in our poor light winter months.
Straws bred for our northan climate are by nature better off if they have a dormant period.
Strawberries take 60 days from flower growth starting to cropping. Thats why farmers can get strawberries any time they want by cold-storing the dormant plant until 60 days before they want the crop.
I think you would find them easier to plant in pots and keep outside so that they go dormant for a period.
Give them a good feed now so that they grow good crowns and plenty of strength. Put them outside and covour with a mulch or straw to protect the plant as in a pot the roots could be killed by freezing.
Then bring them in in soon after Christmas so that they grow away with the increasing light levels.
That ' rest ' will do them good.
By the way....you do not say what variety they are.
There are everbearer strawberries. These crop continuously through the year and do not have the usual single flush of the normal plants.
One other thing....strawberries need polination.
Grown very early in the season you may have to be the 'bee ' .
Jona
Although the strawberry will continue to grow through out the year if it has the right conditions I think that you may have problems getting it to initiate fruit bud in our poor light winter months.
Straws bred for our northan climate are by nature better off if they have a dormant period.
Strawberries take 60 days from flower growth starting to cropping. Thats why farmers can get strawberries any time they want by cold-storing the dormant plant until 60 days before they want the crop.
I think you would find them easier to plant in pots and keep outside so that they go dormant for a period.
Give them a good feed now so that they grow good crowns and plenty of strength. Put them outside and covour with a mulch or straw to protect the plant as in a pot the roots could be killed by freezing.
Then bring them in in soon after Christmas so that they grow away with the increasing light levels.
That ' rest ' will do them good.
By the way....you do not say what variety they are.
There are everbearer strawberries. These crop continuously through the year and do not have the usual single flush of the normal plants.
One other thing....strawberries need polination.
Grown very early in the season you may have to be the 'bee ' .
Jona