Strawberries are a very important fruit in our little chateau. They can be grown outdoors seasonally but indoor they can fruit two to three times a year. For this reason we like to grow them both indoors and out. Growing strawberries indoor is a little different than growing them outside as they don’t need to be overwinter and they need to be watered and feed. This is how we grow strawberries indoor all year around. 

Sun 

Strawberry plants need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day in order to fruit. Placing them in a south facing windows insures they will get the proper amount of sun they need. If you don’t have a south facing window using a plant grow light will help. You can leave it on for 8 hours in the day or time it to come on when the sun in your window moves to the other side of the house. Keep in mind when using a plant light that strawberry plants also need rest from the sun so the light should only be on for hours during the day and then off at night. Some plant lights are weaker than others and you may need to leave it on an hour or two longer. A good tip it to turn it on at sunrise and off at sunset this should give your plant about 10 hours of sun.

Soil

Regular garden soil mix works perfectly for strawberry plants in pots. If you can find one meant for fruit and vegetables that is the best kind kind.

Water 

When watering the strawberry plant it is important to keep water and soil away from the crown of the strawberry plant. The crown in located in the center of the plant. For indoor strawberry plants it is recommended to let it dry about one inch down indoor the soil and then water it. When watering soak the plant letting the access water drain away from the plant.

Food 

We use a water down version of a organic seaweed based plant food. It is for fruit and vegetables. We don’t follow the instructions on the bottle because it is to strong for the plants and has almost killed them when we don’t water it down. Make sure to research the plant food you use and look for formers and comments from other people who have use it.

Annual or Perennial

Strawberry plants are perennial and will come back every year. After three years they may die so plan to root some of the runner before your plant dies. When growing indoors your plant will not need to be put out in the snow, your freezer, or your refrigerator. You will notice that most of the leaves will die and at some point and though it may look like it is dying it is just going through its natural cycle. It grows leaves, then runners, then fruits, then loses most its leaves  and then it starts all over again. Make sure to water as needed even if it looks dead because it will come back.

Climate 

Strawberry plants like temperatures of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Their green leaves can service temperature as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have to leave them in a cool room over the winter and don’t want them to go completely dormant and lose Alan of its leaves the room shouldn’t get lower than 40 degrees.

Harvest 

As mentioned before you can harvest indoor strawberry plants two to three times a year, but don’t be surprised if it is only once. Sunlight, climate, and conditions account for how often it will fruit.

Transplant 

You may not need to transplant your strawberry plant at all. They don’t make deep roots and their roots don’t grow out to far. As long as you pick a pot that isn’t to small it should be fine. If you see roots growing from under the pot you can transplant it to larger pot but keep in mind it doesn’t need to be to big. 8 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep is big enough for strawberry plants.

Tips 

 If you are growing rare strawberry plants like we like to do for example white strawberries make sure to check if they need to be pollinated by a red strawberry plant. If you need to by a red strawberry plant for pollination try to time it so that they will flower at the same time.