Whoever has once nibbled a fully ripe wild strawberry straight from the forest edge knows that size is not everything. These tiny fruits, barely larger than a pea, concentrate an aroma against which any watery supermarket strawberry tastes bland. Perpetual and wild strawberries bring exactly this intense flavour into the garden, and the best part: you grow them cheaply from seed yourself.
Unlike the large garden strawberries, which you buy as expensive young plants, these small sisters can be propagated by the dozen from a single packet of seed. You only have to know their germination quirks. This article shows you how the sowing succeeds and how to use the small aroma bombs in the garden.
Small, but full of aroma
The great advantage of the perpetual and wild strawberries is their concentrated flavour. What they lack in size they more than make up for in aroma. While large garden strawberries are bred for yield and transportability and often lose flavour in the process, these small fruits are pure spice.
There are two types that differ in use. Perpetual strawberries bear fruit again and again all summer into autumn and mostly form no runners, staying as compact clumps in the bed or pot. Wild strawberries, by contrast, spread by runners and suit excellently as an edible groundcover for part-shaded corners, where they form a pretty, bearing carpet.
Sowing: cold and light germinators
The only trick in raising them lies in the germination quirks of the seeds. Fragaria vesca is a cold germinator, which means the seeds need a cold phase or at least germinate better after one. Moreover they are light germinators that need light to germinate and therefore must not be covered with soil.
Sow early
Sow from weeks 8 to 12 in trays of fine, moist seed compost. Whoever wants to use the cold phase can also sow outdoors in late winter.
Only press in, do not cover
Scatter the fine seeds thinly and only press them lightly. Because they are light germinators, they must not be covered with soil, otherwise they do not germinate.
Keep moist and bright
Keep the sowing evenly moist, best with a cover against drying out, and put it bright. Germination can take a few weeks, patience is needed here.
Prick out and plant out
As soon as the seedlings are strong enough, you separate them and plant them out after the last frosts, into the bed, the container or as groundcover.
The reward of the somewhat patient raising: from one packet of seed come many plants, and with good care they often bear their first fruits already in the first year. So you get cheaply a whole bed or a pot collection of these aromatic treasures.
Tiny but full of aroma and cheap from seed: perpetual and wild strawberries bring the intense flavour of the wild fruit into the garden, if you know their germination quirks.
The core idea for the small strawberries
Frequently asked questions
How do you grow wild strawberries from seed?
Sow from weeks 8 to 12 into fine, moist seed compost. The seeds are light germinators and only pressed in, not covered with soil. Keep the sowing moist and bright. Germination takes a few weeks, then the seedlings are pricked out and planted out.
What is the difference between perpetual and wild strawberries?
Both belong to Fragaria vesca and have the same intense aroma. Perpetual strawberries bear all summer and mostly form no runners, staying compact. Wild strawberries spread by runners and suit as an edible groundcover.
Why don't my wild strawberry seeds germinate?
Usually because they lie too deep or stand too dry. As light germinators the seeds must not be covered with soil. They are also cold germinators that germinate better after a cold phase. Keep the sowing evenly moist and bright and be patient.
Do home-grown wild strawberries bear in the first year?
With early sowing and good care often yes. Perpetual strawberries begin to bear in the first summer and then deliver fruits again and again into autumn. In the second year the plants are stronger and the yield rises.
Are perpetual strawberries suitable for the balcony?
Very well. Because they stay compact and mostly form no runners, they thrive ideally in a pot, balcony box and hanging basket. There they bear small, aromatic fruits to nibble again and again all summer.
