Growing With Science Blog

Yes, the mystery seeds from last week were from the strawberry plant, genus Fragaria.

We see the seeds (technically achenes) all the time, because the plant displays them proudly on the outside of the fruit. But how much have you thought about strawberry seeds?

For example, can you plant strawberry seeds and grow a new strawberry plant?

You have probably seen strawberry plants at the nursery. You might even have grown them yourself.

Although those starter plants are convenient and speed up the arrival of an edible crop, the answer is that you can grow strawberries from seeds.

Our garden strawberries are the result of a cross between two different species of strawberries. Varieties have been developed from those original crosses. Some varieties will grow true to their parents, and others will be a new mix. If you want to be sure to grow reliable strawberries, you can get packets of strawberry seeds from a nursery or online.

But what fun is that? Being scientists to the core, we want to find out for ourselves. We have taken some fresh strawberries from the grocery store, blended them in the blender for a few seconds and then spread them on some moist potting mix. We covered the seeds lightly with soil, and will let you know our results.

One question you may have is whether the seeds need a cold period, like apples do. That is one variable we need to examine. One scientific paper I examined suggested that the seeds do not necessarily need a cold treatment.

Source:  An improved technique for the germination of strawberry seeds

Have you ever grown strawberries? (I know someone who left a comment on the mystery seed post grew them commercially). How about from seed? If you give it a try, be sure to let us know what happens.