How to Grow & Care for Strawberries Indoors for Fresh Fruit Year-Round

Imagine growing juicy strawberries in your home so you can always have fresh fruit instead of relying on what's sold at the grocery store. It's possible to grow this perennial evergreen plant indoors—even if you have limited space—when you choose the right type of strawberry varietal, container, lighting, and soil mix that will make your harvest a success. Another benefit of growing strawberries indoors is that the fruit is protected from insects and birds that love to eat the ripe berries, leaving more treats for you and your family. Get started to learn how to grow strawberries indoors using our guide.

Can You Grow Strawberries Indoors?

You can grow strawberry plants indoors and start them from seed at any time of the year or purchase mature plants from a garden center that produces fruit quickly. All you need is a sunny spot or grow lights and a pot.

Day-neutral (plants that grow regardless of the length of the day) and everbearing cultivars are the best to use because they fruit readily in their first year, making them easy to grow indoors. Consider these cultivars:

• Albion: This day-neutral strawberry produces delicious, medium-sized, firm fruit and is a strong, compact plant with sturdy dark green leaves.

• Cabrillo: The day-neutral overbearing berry produces large, uniform sweet/sour strawberries with a higher yield than Albion.

• Seascape: The day-neutral strawberry, Seascape, will flower and fruit all season. The berries are large, prolific, and have good flavor when they are ripened on the plant.

• Ozark Beauty: This overbearing, large plant reaches 12 inches tall and produces large fruit.

• Alpine: These everbearing strawberries are one of the few types of indoor strawberries that don't mind being grown close together and they may require only four hours of sun while growing indoors.

How to Grow Strawberries Indoors

Sunlight

Strawberries require full sun (at least six hours daily of bright light) to thrive and produce fruit. You can substitute grow lights for sunlight, especially when seed starting.

Temperature and Humidity

Daytime temperatures should be between 68 °F and 75 °F. Lower temperatures at night help produce high-quality fruit. Keep humidity levels around 60 to 75 percent to prevent powdery mildew from forming.

Watering

Strawberries like moist soil, but they should never be waterlogged. The most common problem is overwatering, which causes root rot and powdery mildew.

Water strawberry plants about once a week or when the top inch of soil is dry. Water in the morning or afternoon and from the bottom so the leaves stay dry. It's also best to use filtered or non-chlorinated water.

Air Circulation

Strawberries like to have plenty of air circulation. If they are planted too closely together, they may develop mold problems.

Fertilizer

Feed strawberries every three to four weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Once the fruit-producing cycle is complete, apply a balanced fertilizer as the plants begin forming new buds within the crown that will become the next crop.

Pruning and Maintenance

Strawberries do not require pruning but you can remove dead leaves from the base of the plant. Do not damage the crown or center of the plant.

Pollination

Since there are no bees indoors to help with pollination, you'll get the most fruit if you hand-pollinate the plants. Here's how:

1. Use a small, clean paintbrush or a cotton swab.

2. Gently agitate the pollen from the outer ring of the flower’s center to the inner ring of the same flower.

3. Or, two flowers can be rubbed together to transfer the pollen.

Container and Size

Containers for indoor strawberries can be plastic, glazed pottery, or unglazed terra-cotta. They should have good drainage holes but do not need to be very deep because strawberry roots are shallow. A 12-inch diameter pot fits three plants or a 6- to 8-inch diameter pot fits a single plant.

Potting Soil and Drainage

Use an indoor houseplant potting mix of mainly peat moss or coconut coir with added perlite to make a loose, loamy soil with good drainage to keep your strawberries happy inside.

Potting and Repotting Strawberries

Start with fresh seed, transplanted runners, or new seedlings. Indoor strawberry seeds can be planted at any time of the year. However, seedlings or mature plants are easiest to find in the early spring.

Some strawberry plants produce runners or baby plants that can be removed from the mother plant and potted in a new container but you may not see an abundance of runners in day-neutral strawberries. If you have runners, these transplants should produce fruit in five to six weeks.

Although strawberries are perennials, they should be replaced after two or three years with fresh plants as their ability to produce fruit will dwindle.

Harvesting Indoor Strawberries

Harvest your indoor strawberries as soon as they ripen or when the berries are uniformly red. Pick them, keeping the cap and stem attached to stay fresh and firm. Everbearing strawberries will produce two major crops while day-neutral cultivars produce a handful of berries every few weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you grow strawberries indoors from seeds?

Growing from seed to fruit takes about five to six months. Here's how: Sprinkle the tiny seeds on top of the soil and then lightly cover with soil 1/8-inch deep. Place the container in a location with six hours of sunlight daily. Water every two or three days if the soil becomes dry. Keep the soil moist, and warm, and seeds will germinate between seven days and six weeks—transplant seedlings with three sets of true leaves into larger containers.

Can I grow strawberries inside my house?

You can plant strawberries inside your house if you have a sunny spot or grow lights and a pot with drainage holes filled with quality, well-draining potting mix.

Can I grow my indoor strawberries under grow lights?

Growing indoor strawberries with grow lights is an excellent alternative if you don't have a sunny windowsill. Look for full-spectrum LED grow lights for your strawberries. LEDs don't emit as much heat as regular grow lights so they can be placed closer to the plants. Leave grow lights on indoor strawberries between 12 to 16 hours a day.

Read Next: Expert Gardeners Swear By These 5 Strawberry Growing Hacks

Read the original article on The Spruce.