You’ve gotta love strawberries! Even mountain ranges and municipalities have been named after this highly sought-after fruit! Just as well, then, that strawberries grow very well in a wide range of temperate settings: from seaside areas to the woods and mountains in both hemispheres. You might not be so familiar with their Latin name, “Fragaria” – the more formal term for the genus of fruiting plants within the rose family. The popular name “strawberry” actually comes from early market packaging 500 years ago on the streets of London. The plants, grown mulched with straw, were then sold on the streets by children who threaded the ripe berries on a mulch straw.

The Latin word “Fragaria” reveals further insights into the fruit: the word means “fragrant” – an apt, if incomplete, description of this fabulous, even erotic fruit. Serving the object of your affection strawberries and champagne is known as a sure way to heat up a private and intimate evening (add chocolate to induce flaming). Even the indigenous Americans realized the amorous and lusty qualities of the strawberry. All you need to do is check out some sacred Cherokee texts: the credit for strawberry creation was the forthright thinking of the Great Apportioner, or The Sun. The Cherokee teach that strawberries were made to melt the first woman’s hardened heart and repair her relationship with the first man after a quarrel. Obviously, The Sun is a very wise dude for a deity.

STRAWBERRY FAST FACTS

• pH range 5.5-5.8 for best results
• strawberries like low humidity
• 65-72 degrees F / 18-22 degrees C best for fruiting
• 14 hours of daylight minimum
• crop yield: up to 3lbs fruit per plant
• grow 60lbs berries in 1.36 square feet
• harvest 12 months/year is possible

Things were a bit different in Europe, where the earliest record of strawberries is found in 200 BC Rome. Originally, they only had medicinal uses. A 12th century saint deemed the berry to be unfit to eat, claiming they were contaminated by toads and snakes as they grew on the ground. France began cultivating strawberries in the early 1500s when Cartier brought plants back from Quebec. King Louis XIV declared them his favorite fruit, launching a poetry contest for the purpose of composing rhyme on its many wonders.

No improvements to strawberries were attempted until the 18th century. Before then, strawberries were all the small-yet-tasty little morsels you still find growing wild. The first U.S. hybrid, “Hudson,” was introduced in 1783. However, it was the English who became scientific and systematic about the hybridizing of the strawberry in the 1820s. To them we owe thanks for the huge, beautiful berries we so enjoy today. The first cold shipment of commercial strawberries took place in Ohio of 1843. This colossal concept evolved in Cincinnati when some ingenious berry farmers had the brainstorm of making ice on box tops to refrigerate their perishable cargo in transit.

Alas, the impressive looking berries you buy in the grocery store aren’t chosen for flavor, but appearance. After all, the majority of us are suckers for looks and few care for what lies beneath the skin. Commercial strawberry varieties like Chandler, Camarosa and Sweet Charlie contain about half the sugar as the luscious garden types our eyes perceive them to be. Retail berries are selected for long storage and huge fruits born in much abundance. They lack sweetness, juice, and are devoid of that hauntingly beautiful strawberry fragrance and flavor.

The amount of chemicals used in the commercial production of strawberries is phenomenal. We can sympathize with soft fruit producers and their plight as they attempt to earn a dependable living with this perishable crop against the odds of Mother Nature, but the alarming use of methyl bromide and chloropicrin is only the tip of the chemical iceberg when it comes to the methods employed to bring globe-trotting strawberries to your local food market. And if you thought that the soil fumigant methyl bromide was completely put to rest, it isn’t. The EPA has extended the window until 2012 to allow for a replacement chemical to be produced. Methyl bromide is toxic to the ozone, causes lung cancer when breathed and does not wash off of the berries as it is absorbed by the skin.

So what’s a conscientious strawberry- lover to do? Simple! GROW YOUR OWN!

Hydro heads will also be delighted to know that strawberries love hydroponics and you can harvest mouthwatering fruit all year long. Hydroponic strawberries are far juicier with richer flavor than soil-grown crops outdoors. You can harvest your own huge “Junebearing” strawberries all year. Fresh strawberries consistently ready to pick? About now you’re poised on the edge of your seat waiting to know more, right?

Recommended Hydroponic Strawberry Varieties

Different regions of the USA and Canada grow strawberry cultivars that perform best in their specific climate. For indoor gardeners, of course, climate isn’t an issue and you can pick the variety with all your favorite attributes. If you want to keep your energy costs down then pick day-neutral types that do best in short days and cooler temperatures.

Strawberry varieties aren’t as simple to select as you may think. There are three distinct bearing types to consider: June-bearing, ever-bearing, and day neutral. June-bearing puts all its energy into creating massive, juicy berries once a year, spreading via runners up to 3-feet wide. Ever-bearing plants yield three crops a year in soil with resting periods between fruiting, even in your indoor garden.

Day neutral strawberries will continually produce fruit once they reach the bloom stage. Day neutral berries are smaller than the other types but have excellent flavor and sweetness. Day neutral berries will deliver the biggest bang for your buck when growing indoors. The queen of hydro strawberry production, Dr. Lynette Morgan, agrees and adds this is the best choice for consistent day lengths. These will perform well in shorter day lengths and cooler temperatures for lower production costs.

Don’t assume that such a crop will take over your grow space for a good sized harvest. Strawberries are great for growing in hydroponic stackers that only need 14 square inches of floor space to grow 20 plants. However, make sure you check the disease resistance of varieties and the known yield amounts. There are some excellent choices in all three types of strawberry plants.

Day Neutral Strawberry Varieties

Tribute: fruits spring through fall; medium to large berries.
Quinalt: self-pollinating; 2” wide berries with 4-5 month harvest.
Mara de bois: productive; firm, good-sized fruit with outstanding flavor.
Seascape: popular; firm, good-sized fruit with nice flavor.

June-bearing Strawberry Varieties

Honeoye: heavy yields of gorgeous big berries excellent for freezing.
Jewel: huge berries with exquisite flavor high in sugar content.
Earliglow: fast to flower and fruit; great flavor, size, color and juiciness.

Ever-bearing Strawberry Varieties

Ozark Beauty: prolific harvest of very juicy berries with good flavor.
Ft. Laramie: a bit smaller fruit with good harvest and superior taste.

Nutrition Facts

Here’s an interesting tidbit: the actual fruit of the strawberry plant is what we call the seeds. The ambrosia we so adore is more like a fruit-carrying pod. This pod from the gods needs no description of flavor or what makes the crop so special. After all, you may (in the course of a century) meet up with two or three souls who detest strawberries.

Strawberries offer us a mountain of health benefits. Ten medium sized berries contain 150% of your daily Vitamin C requirements: the equivalent of a whole orange. They also contain Vitamin K, B2, B5, B6 and are rich in iron. Strawberries are fat free and the same serving contains 3g of carbohydrates, 2g of protein and 7% of your daily folic acid needs. The seeds of strawberries contain natural whitening agents for your teeth and are wonderful for removing dental plaque.

Strawberries have held medicinal value since the days of Rome. They are excellent antioxidants that control free radicals and combat carcinogens. Unlike many other fruits and vegetables, cooking does not destroy these qualities. They are also a good source of flavonoids and have excellent antibacterial properties. The seeds most of us wished weren’t present are a great source of dietary fiber and assist in reducing cholesterol.

What Do I Need to Grow Hydroponic Strawberries?

Now, before you rush off to Google the best price on strawberry seeds, I feel I should inform you that you’ll be hard pressed to find any select cultivars available. In fact, you’ll most likely not find any proper strawberry seed at all to purchase. You can grow strawberries from seed, but who wants to wait 2 to 3 years before picking their first berries?

The best-yielding strawberry starter plants are newly-rooted runner cuttings called “plugs.” These will be available in spring mail order catalogs everywhere. Buying live strawberry plants bare root is not a wise choice for hydroponics. The soil-borne pathogens in field-dug bare root strawberry plants available in the fall could be your worst indoor gardening nightmare when those pathogens run wild in a recirculating system.

Strawberry plugs are simply rooted runners. Once you’ve got your first plants going, you’ll have plenty of runners to grow your own plugs. Elongated daughters give higher yielding plants than runner tips. Once rooted, 6-12 weeks of refrigeration results in growth to flowering in a few short weeks. The larger your plug pot size, the higher performance your new plants will have.

The least preferable system for strawberries is NFT as keeping crowns raised becomes an issue and rockwool can cause over-saturation-related root problems. Media-based systems are far easier to maintain good strawberry disease control. A Spanish study proved that the highest harvest yields and fruit weight were found to be using sphagnum peat and not coir for the substrate. You must have excellent drainage and take care to keep three quarters of the crowns raised for air flow to preempt root rot and foliar diseases. So clay pebbles, vermiculite, gravel or perlite may be best for beginners to achieve best results.

Strawberry plant crop yields vary from about one half pound to three pounds per season. Since hydroponically- grown plants have heavier yields, a June variety known for abundance could easily yield three pounds per crop. Stackers of 20 plants could yield 60 pounds per harvest in just 1.36 square feet of area. Dr. Morgan suggests that elevated systems are preferable to the floor, as it improves airflow. Your grow lights should be metal halide or full spectrum fluorescents. With day neutral varieties you can have a great harvest with under 12-hour day lengths. You’ll want good air flow and venting to keep the humidity down for a more carefree crop. Your water can’t have high sodium as strawberries are intolerant of it, so under 50 ppm sodium is best. If you live in an area where these values cannot be met, a water purification filter could be the answer for you.

You want to maintain a pH range of 5.5-5.8. For best performance, strawberries like low humidity, a minimum of 14 hours of daylight and warmer temperatures. Day neutral varieties have been known to fruit well at as cool as 60˚F (16˚C), but temperatures between 65-72˚F (18-22˚C) are best for strawberry fruiting. Good air flow is needed for plant vigor with strawberries, which are prone to powdery mildew in high humidity.

Good crop management will include keeping any older, browned or discolored leaves and overripe berries cleaned out regularly. Their presence creates good breeding grounds for problematic pests and disease.

Strawberry Harvesting Tips

Once you get your berry crop well under way and practice good crop management, you should be enjoying fresh berries just about any time of the year. The new plants should begin flowering in 8 to 10 weeks with your first fresh, safely grown strawberries ripening not long after.

Learning the ultimate point at which to pick your berries will be a bit trial and error at first. Berries will not generally ripen after being picked so it is best to harvest your strawberries as they reach the point of perfect ripeness and place them in refrigeration (if not in your mouth!) as soon as possible after picking. This will inhibit the soft fruit from reaching a point of over-ripeness too quickly.

Unlike berry harvests from soil-grown plants, hydroponic strawberries won’t be covered with dirt. You’ll be able to eat them fresh just as they are plucked from the stem. This will reduce the need to introduce your ripe fruit to water that can rush spoilage even in cold storage.

Strawberry Freezing Tip

Cut the green plant tops off the strawberries and spread the berries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze the berries for 1-2 hours, then move them to Ziplock bags for permanent freezer storage. This will ensure your berries don’t freeze in a solid mass, making it easier to remove and thaw as many berries as you need at a time.

Do you have a favorite strawberry variety or growing method? Tell us about it below!