Topic: Anyone grown alpine strawberries from seed?

[Crystalmoon]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has had success growing Alpine Strawberries from seeds?  Quite fancy growing my own if they aren't too difficult  ;)

[manicscousers]

I can let you have some runners in autumn if you'd like some. We have them as ground cover under the fruit trees  :)

[goodlife]

Yes..I have grown them from seed many times. This spring I did sow quite few varieties and just started picking the first strawberries from them too.
'True' alpine strawberries don't make runners but are clump forming.  Those that make runners are 'wild' strawberries..few different species and there is cultivated varieties available for them too.
I'm 'splitting hairs now'.. ::)..but 'wild' or alpine..they are all strawberries and delicious to eat.. ;D

I can get you some seed from mine if in need.. ;)..and I've got wild strawberry with plenty of runners, but the fruit is tiny..I only grow it for my own 'fun', it doesn't really produce much to eat. You are welcome for some runners if you want.

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Goodlife & Manicsousers thank you for your kind offers of runners/seeds  :)

I've been given an envelope full of Alpine Strawberry seeds & was wondering if it would be worth growing them with the intention of eating the fruits?

I have recently moved my raised beds from my allotment to my tiny back garden & as my old strawberry plants that were 5 years old (naughty me  ;D they kept on fruiting so I let them get on with it) haven't survived the insane weather this year I was thinking of filling one of the raised beds with Alpine strawbs...
what do you reckon?  Do the Alpine ones give fruit for a few years?

The seeds I've been given don't come with any instructions  ;D

As my old strawb plants got older the fruits became smaller but with so much more flavour that I have rather gone off huge watery strawbs
xjane

[goodlife]

Oh..they are fab..definately worth of growing for their fruit.
Once they start flowering they will keep producing until frosts...and each plant should crop for you easily 3 yrs..or more.
As for instruction for sowing...If you have lots..do them in two stages..one lot on seed tray in autumn..just scatter on surface and slightly 'scuff' them 'in'...sort of hit and miss covered. Keep them in cold frame or in GH over winter and they should germinate in spring.
I've sown mine in spring..same way as above but kept them in room temperature. Some varieties have germinated better than others so I'm not entirely sure which would yield better germination.
Still even with the 'usual' early spring sowing..I ended up with dozens of new plants... ;D
Like the larger stawberries..they don't tend to produce much in first year, just few tasters for things to come. But after that you'll be picking and picking, not huge quantity per plant but few from each plant every day.

[Han]

I had to look in the enveloppe with all the the empty seed bags! :-).
I did Alpine Regina and Florian but I am getting mixed up. One did not do anything from seed and the other is doing quite well. I keep them in the GH and they are producing a lot of runners (cut off and growing: have to replant them). Flowering is just over and fruit is growing!
Early spring I also bought 20 plants which gave just a bit of strawberries...........
Han

[goodlife]

Han..Regina is non-runner alpine strawberry..and Florian is pink flowering strawberry that maker runners... ;)

[Han]

Han..Regina is non-runner alpine strawberry..and Florian is pink flowering strawberry that maker runners... ;)

Thanks goodlife!  :)

[Ninnyscrops.]

Had a pouch on the wall of them, in between the clematis stems, now self-seeded and growing in the clematis pot. I suppose they help keep the clem roots cool and a make a sweet nibble during the gardening day  :)



Ninny

[Deb P]

I grew the golden leaved alpine strawberry 'Alexandria ' from seed pretty easily, it also self seeded for a while as well!

[chriscross1966]

I've got some FLorian and I'm not much impressed, though it may be my soil as other things are either great  or rubbish too.... They're coming out this year unless they do a lot more for me and I'll be completely redoing my strawberries back out on the plot instead of at home and I'll do it from runners of whatever I've got here and some Cambridge Favourites if I can scare them up.....and I might look to getting one of those jumbo ones too..

[Crystalmoon]

Thanks Goodlife for the sowing onfo, I'm really looking forward to giving them a try now  ;D xjane

[Digeroo]

I have grown both a Russian Yellow and a climbing type (rampicante) this year.  I find strawberries grow quite easily from seeds.  Surface sow and cover pot with plastic and put on a sunny windowsill.   Once germinated the seedlings are tiny but seem to have a totally amazing survival capacity.   I grew in greek yoghurt tubs, no drainage, covered with plastic bag no there was no damping off.   But they are quite slow to take off.

I like the flowers of florian but not impressed with the flavour of the fruit.