Grow Alpine Strawberries
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Alpine Strawberries- what's the difference?
(hint: that is the alpine strawberry on the left... those tiny, ruby colored, aromatic jewels of fruit)
This is my page of introduction, if you have not yet met this member of the strawberry family.
Make them a part of your Kitchen Garden.
Contents at a Glance
Other Names For Alpine Strawberries
wild strawberry
woodland strawberry
fraise du bois
forest strawberry
The Berry Grower's Companion
Amazon Price: $10.90 (as of 02/22/2012)
A paperback book that you will refer to often. Grow delicious productive fruit plants, and learn how to integrate them seamlessly into your landscape plan.
Get To Know This Miniature Red Fruit
it is a gourmet treat
Alpine strawberries are also known by the name "Fraises du Bois", which is French and means "strawberries of the forests". They are tiny, but deliciously aromatic, far outsized in flavor compared to their little size, as if they arrived in a thimble sized container from a fairy world blessed with an extra soupçon of tastiness. A separate species from the common garden strawberry, (Fragaria x ananassa), their Latin name is Fragaria vesca. One reason to plant them is their growing habits. Alpine strawberries grow in little mounds and do not have the spreading runners of garden strawberries. That makes them well mannered inhabitants of borders and edgings. They also produce fruit throughout the growing season.They grow 10" high with a spread of 10-18", the three leaves on a stalk are bright green and toothed, the typical strawberry flowers are white, and the berries are conical in shape.
These delightful little strawberries are so well loved that they come in a number of named cultivars including 'Alexandra' and 'Mignonette', and you can find some that are yellow or white (to discourage birds from eating them).
Wayside Gardens is a very reputable source. I am always happy doing business with them. In the variety pictured is their hybrid 'Mara Des Bois', which although not an alpine strawberry, carries its qualities of flavor, aroma, and everbearing qualities. It does throw out runners, and the berries are twice the size of the little alpines. It would be a good alternative for those who want something between the wild strawberry and the commercial type.
“The fruits are about the size of your fingertip”
Fragaria vesca
Sugar Snaps and Strawberries: Simple Solutions for Creating Your Own Small-Space Edible Garden
Amazon Price: $5.87 (as of 02/22/2012)
Big solutions for small gardens, practical tips to get the most from your edible garden. Inspirations, tips, and design in this paperback or Kindle edition book.
“Alpine strawberries prefer to germinate in cool, dark environments.”
How To Grow Alpine Strawberry Seeds
Are they difficult to grow?
Three Varieties of Strawberry, Plate 116, from Hortus Eystettensis by Basil Besler
Buy This Allposters.com
It is a little more complicated than some seeds, but not hard.
Here is what you do, follow these steps for good success:
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1Buy your seeds: Alpine Strawberry Alexandria 30 Seeds Per Packet
- 2Refrigerate the seeds to improve germination,1 month before sowing
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3Germinate by moistening paper towel, place seeds inside, and put all inside a plastic baggie; seal.
If you don't germinate this way, alpine strawberries prefer to germinate in cool, dark environments. - 4Don't cover seeds with soil, just let them stay on the surface (if you don't want to use pre-planting germination method).
- 5Once seeds have germinated, pick off and plant in potting soil. ( you can use a small dibble or even a toothpick to "pick off". You can use recycled deli boxes made of plastic.
- 6Be sure to keep moist until well rooted.
Alpine Strawberry Seeds
How Easy Are They?
What do I have to do to grow alpine strawberries?
The simplest, but least economical way is to buy plants, but it isn't hard to find the seeds and plant them. You will have many more plants for your garden that way.Alpine strawberries like
- slightly acid soils (pH 6-6.5)
- regular average moisture
- well drained soils
- organic matter (humus)
- sheltered spot in sun or part sun
- hardy to zone 4
- need division every few years
How should I divide the plants?
Every three to four years lift the plants and divide into smaller sections, replant the newer parts and get rid of the older,woody center. In the northern states of the US, the best time of year to do this is in the March-April months.
Hardiness
Although very hardy, if you grow them in strawberry pots they need to be moved into a frost-free area. They also can use winter mulching to prevent the frost from heaving them from the ground during thaws.
photo by Eleni
Wild or Cultivated Types?
Strawberries that fit your growing plans, culinary tastes, and climate are the best to grow.
A Beautiful Strawberry Pot
plenty of room and easy to pick
Large Strawberry Jar - Curry
Amazon Price: (as of 02/22/2012)
Growing your woodland strawberry plants inside a pot made especially for them offers several benefits. One is the fact that your berries are clean and easy to find, up from those pesky slugs and varmints which like to take bites from your special efforts to grow these luscious little fruits.
Lovely Little Strawberry Things
Do you have a Kindle?
Order this time-tested bulletin:
Happy Frog Natural & Organic Potting Soil 12Qt. (3Ga)
Amazon Price: $6.50 (as of 02/22/2012)
Good potting soil for filling your new strawberry pots. Don't use garden soil because it compacts and doesn't give the roots the ideal condition they need in containers. An organic mix will have more available nutrients and is what you want for growing healthy fruit.
Grow Them Here
In prepared ground, like your vegetable garden, or potager, in containers, or along a path. There are many places to tuck them in if you have rich organic soil ready for them.
Burpee Ultimate Seed Starting System
Amazon Price: (as of 02/22/2012)
Use sterile soil and a cover to keep moisture and high humidity to optimize seed starting.
More Strawberry Planters
Many to choose from
Tips for Success
Grow the best woodland strawberries ever
- Keep new seedlings covered so they stay moist-give them time to develop a little root system before you uncover them.
- Be sure to allow plenty of growing space for underground stolons. At least 10 inches apart, maybe more. Try using a half barrel as a container.
- Keep strawberries mulched with straw. Don't use leaves, or they may bet smothered.
Espoma Organic Traditions Kelp Meal 1-0-2 - 4 lb Bag KM4
Amazon Price: $11.77 (as of 02/22/2012)
Kelp Meal is brown seaweed harvested from the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the north Atlantic Ocean. It is used on many fruits and vegetables to give added nutrients and boost growth in a natural way.
Gro-Light Setup
for expert results
Hydrofarm JSV4 4-Foot Jump Start T5 Grow Light System
Amazon Price: $72.25 (as of 02/22/2012)
You can grow tomato, strawberry, perennial flower plants, almost anything with success. Give your seedlings a good start with plenty of light and the right conditions.
Strawberry plants
In case you don't want to go through the trouble of growing by seed, and just want to start with plants, the time to buy is March-April-May-June. After that just get the picture or posters of them ( until next year!)
Bid on eBay, or order from a reputable plant nursery.
Wayside gardens, which has this to say about a special variety (like the alpine, but noted that it is NOT) they offer:
Mara des Bois
'Mara Des Bois' is not an alpine strawberry, but you could be forgiven for thinking it is: the berries are small (about the size of a hazelnut) and intensely flavored, with a hint of the wildness that characterizes Alpines. Luckily, they also have the heavy production and tart-sweet flavor of a garden strawberry. It's the best of both in a single berry! A gourmet treat, this day-neutral everbearer sends out runners in the garden, establishing daughter plants to replenish itself. Expect it to reach just 3 to 6 inches high but to spread 12 to 15 inches wide in the sunny garden. 'Mara Des Bois' was Introduced in France in 1991 by Jacques Marionnet. It is a hybrid of 4 varieties selected for their complexity of flavor and texture: Gento, Ostara, Red Gauntlet, and Korona. It bears freely from late spring all the way through summer, in cycles every few weeks. Absolutely magnificent! This gourmet berry is ideal for strawberry jars and hanging baskets as well as the garden. The fruit is about twice the size of alpine strawberries, and is intensely, wonderfully fragrant. A fully blooming patch of 'Mara Des Bois' has a heady, rich aroma that it shares with the entire garden. Plant 'Mara Des Bois' in full sun to light shade. It perpetuates itself with daughter plants freely, growing vigorously season after season. You will love the gourmet flavor, big production, and bright red fruit. Zones 3-9.
*Hybrids do not come true from seed, but often have greater vigor.
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Garden Links
related to growing strawberries
- Grow Your Own Food
- Tells it like it is for those dreaming of growing their own produce.
- Companion Planting Cheatsheet
- A few quick combinations to help your plants help themselves.
- My Garden Lenses
- My growing garden lensography.
Sweet Strawberries on CafePress
Wild Strawberry Inspiration
Berry Mashup
gathering growing info
Female Emperor Moth and Wild Strawberry circa 1570 by J. Le Moyne des Morgues
Buy This Allposters.com
- Jan 11, 2012 @ 10:24 pmGourmet Strawberry Germination Video Guide from Gourmet Strawberries
- Just published this guide to germinating strawberry seeds. Download it at: Germination Video Guide It must be downloaded for the videos to work. These are the methods we use.
- Jun 17, 2011 @ 4:36 pmNew Site for Seed Sales from Gourmet Strawberries
- To streamline seed sales we have created a new site at Strawberry Seed Store. The minimum order is now lower and seeds are categorized by species. All of these changes should make it easier to order a...
- Mar 7, 2011 @ 10:31 pmMara des Bois from Gourmet Strawberries
- Just added Mara des Bois products including bare root and Quick Starts. Also, just discounted the Gourmet Kit for 2 ten hole pouches with plants.
- Feb 2, 2011 @ 11:55 amJust Published Report on Alpine Strawberry Product... from Gourmet Strawberries
- I just published and released a report on two years worth of trials on the potential productivity of selected Fragaria vesca varieties. You can find it on the the shopping cart with an explanation of...
- Jan 13, 2011 @ 12:01 pmStrawberry Aroma from Gourmet Strawberries
- I have been in touch with a couple of researchers who are looking at strawberry flavor and aroma. What a delightful change in pace. It seems that the whole world is hung up on size, shipability, shelf...
- Jan 12, 2011 @ 6:22 pmStrawberry Shapes from Gourmet Strawberries
- Did you know that strawberries come in a range of shapes? If you run into descriptions of a berry's shape, use this chart to give you an idea of their shape. Strawberry Shapes Thanks to http://strawb...
- Jan 2, 2011 @ 5:42 pmStrawberry Volume with Taste? from Gourmet Strawberries
- My inbox is filling up with emails from families who are interested in growing their own strawberries. Almost every one says that they are looking for varieties that will produce large volumes of stra...
- Dec 29, 2010 @ 6:49 pmThe genome of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) from Gourmet Strawberries
- On December 26, 2010 Nature Genetics published a monumental research effort. This work is awesome. I can't say that I have read the whole article yet and have to admit that what I have read is difficu...
- Dec 2, 2010 @ 7:31 pmOrnamental Strawberries from Gourmet Strawberries
- I received several emails last season about pretty pink flowering strawberries that produced no fruit. When we see these pretty plants at a "big box store" we just have to pick them up and take them h...
Strawberry Time
Gardening Tips To Improve Your Strawberry Patch
Wild Strawberries!
Strawberry Feedback
Comments are the dessert for today
Thanks for the blessing:
GonnaFly
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Reply
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flinnie
Jan 23, 2012 @ 8:49 pm | delete
- Hi love strawberries,have some growing in pots now.They bloom but it so cold that the berries freeze on the plants.I wont to start some alpine from seed,love growing my own food.
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Reply
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RenaissanceWoman2010
Dec 29, 2011 @ 1:08 pm | delete
- Thank you for introducing me to the alpine strawberry. I plan to grow some this season. I'm already anticipating the richer flavor of this variety. Thanks for all of the tips and resources. Appreciated!
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Reply
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Ilona1
Dec 29, 2011 @ 2:29 pm | delete
- Since you live in the high desert, be sure to create their own little bed, protected from winds and high in humus. Maybe collect humus from under pines. Mulch will be very important to conserve moisture in your area.
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AnthonyAltorenna
Aug 27, 2011 @ 4:12 pm | delete
- Great information on growing strawberries, and your tips can apply to many different varieties of these tasty berries. We grow several of the garden types, though the chipmunks get most of the fruit.
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Helene-Malmsio
Jun 26, 2011 @ 2:47 am | delete
- Growing those tiny wild strawberries are best, they have such an intense flavor, compared to the tasteless ones bought in the supermarket!
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About Me
and yes, I love strawberries
Cottage Garden I
Winget, Susan
I've grown both types of strawberries, and love both. My favorite garden strawberry variety is Earliglow and my favorite woodland strawberry is "Mignonette".
Alpine and Musk Strawberries are only the beginning
..try other unusual fruits,too
Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden
Amazon Price: $9.60 (as of 02/22/2012)
After reading the chapter on alpine strawberries, you might be interested in growing other fruits included in this book: currants, medlars, or a paw paw patch, among others...
by Ilona1
Join Fan Club If you would like to know more about gardening my website holds the keys of my experience of many years in my central Ohio yard. It is... more »
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Alexandria variety
Golden Alexandria Strawberry - 4 Plants - Fragaria
Amazon Price: (as of 02/22/2012)
This is a better choice for the South,though it should have more shade in its southern range. It has a reputation for good fruiting, excellent flavor.
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