As far as techniques, starting strawberry seed early while it’s still winter in pots is best. They prefer cool temperatures for early growth. I assume most people who start from seed have a seed starting/propagation area that is protected from slugs, mice, and whatever else. Indoors or in a garage under lights, or in a greenhouse or cold frame. Because they are slow-growing, they need to be somewhere where temperatures can be kept moderate for enough time to allow them to put on adequate growth to hold their own when planted out in the garden. They might not be ready to plant out until the second season.
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Hmmm. Do you think they would sprout if I started them in fall in my greenhouse that I plan to keep just barely above 32 degrees? It won’t be temperature protected in summer – it’ll be blazing hot, just like the rest of my yard – so trying to get them to sprout and grow slowly through winter seems like it may be a better idea than starting them in spring.
We have a native wild strawberry here which I will be planting this year, it is typically used as a native alternative ground cover, but of course I immediately started thinking about whether it would cross with culinary varieties and how hard it would be to create a larger “wild” version by doing so.
Emily, I’d probably start them in the spring now and plant them out before it gets too hot. It’s tough to generalize, since everyone’s garden and climate are different. I agree that keeping them in a hot greenhouse all summer doesn’t sound great. If they’re still so small and vulnerable in your open garden conditions this year, I’d try to keep them in a shady spot in their pots until fall, then in the greenhouse over winter. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it stays mild and cool for long period of time, so it is not hard to give them the time they need to grow and develop.
Yeah, our temperatures are anywhere between 90-100 degrees F for five months straight, with 0% humidity and next to zero rainfall, so . . . strawberry seedlings tend to protest that. (Wry laugh.) It’s possible keeping them in pots against my house in mostly-shade all summer would help them live, though. (And obviously watering them regularly.) That may be worth giving a try.
This is how mine look about 14 months after sowing in a water jug. In March last year I permanently removed the top half and set it in a shady area. I didn’t water these, but I live in a wetter climate
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Oh, that’s great! Okay, so keeping my strawberry seedlings in pots in deep shade, and watering them regularly, is probably the right thing to do in my climate.
Our first strawberries are coming in! I want to save the seeds and get them planted into some small pots for the time being. My typical approach for something with small seeds is to mash up the fruit, let it ferment in a jar for a couple of days, then squish through a strainer, and finally mix into a jar of water to separate sinkers from floaters and pour off remains of fruit pulp. I recall Joseph doing something similar with tomato seeds in one of his videos.
Do you all have a favorite method for separating and storing viable seeds for strawberries specifically? Should they be planted right away, or can they be stored for a long time? Can they handle being dried and/or stored in a freezer if needed?
It my first time playing with strawberries, so I thought id ask you all in this thread before spending time sifting through the often not-so-great advice on google.
Our strawberries have been grow outside without use of chemicals for years now. It is a mix of the tiny wild ones, and the larger cultivated ones. Some of them even look like crosses between the two, but I don’t know for certain. Im thinking there could be a mixing of genetics in the seeds?
There are a lot more coming in, too. Happy to share seed once I learn how to properly clean and store them for maximum viability.
These are being selected for earliest fruiting for now.
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Having never done it before, last year we smeared seeds from a wild strawberry onto a little piece of paper then put that on a drying rack. Once completely dry, the paper was put into a zippered plastic bag then put into our seed box.
When I planted them, I ripped sections of that paper off into little areas of seed and put that little piece of paper onto the soil. After spacing the pieces of paper all over on the soil, I added a dusting of soil over them, then watered as usual. These were planted in a fruit juice container in order to “winter sow” them.
This is what they looked like in April. I’ll post a newer pic when I get a chance. 
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I’m just getting my first fruits from a couple of the cultivated hybrid varieties I have. So far I have lost a few to woodlouse and house sparrows (there’s an extremely active population of house sparrows here).
In total I have around 6 varieties of cultivated hybrids, a young wild alpine which hasn’t flowered yet, an apricot tasting white variety - Fragaria Nilgerrensis, and the Chilean white variety. 9 varieties in total.
The two white varieties I overpaid an awful lot for only 20 seeds of each. I sowed half of each packet and got only 1 seedling of the apricot variety and a few seedlings of the Chilean variety.
Hopefully next season they will get an opportunity to all cross and give me some interesting genetics. I will probably try to add a few more varieties (probably wild ones) when I find them too.
Landracing strawberries does seem interesting, although is a very long process as you may have to wait two seasons after sowing seeds to see the results.
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I’ve never heard of an apricot tasting strawberry. Fascinating!
Strawberry skin pulp sat in a jar for a couple of days to ferment. I mashed it through a screen, then mixed with water repeatedly to separate the pulp and floating seeds from the sinkers. From only a half dozen berries this is what i was able to get:
I guess ill have to check with google about how to store them. Pots and soil are not yet ready.
Once I know more ill share here. .
EDIT: found an answer in the google sphere:
…strawberry seeds can be stored for future use, but it’s important to store them properly to maintain their viability. After removing seeds from ripe strawberries, allow them to air dry completely. Once dry, place the seeds in an airtight container or seed packet and store them in a cool, dark, and dry location. Properly stored seeds can remain viable for several years, allowing you to start new plants whenever you’re ready.
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I personally lay them out on a small scrap of paper towel, and once thoroughly dry I slip it into an envelope and put it in the freezer. The vernalization seems to help with germination. When ready to plant they are easily rubbed off of the paper towel onto the media.
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I do the same but very thin slices of skin on paper towel then uncovered on a plate in refrigerator which dehydrates the skins and vernalizes them. Once dehydrated a finger nail or butter knife easily separated seeds from skins into a bowl. Then I poured seed from bowl into a small plastic craft ziplock bag and into fridge in the seed storage container.
I mass germinated mine in a small clean canning jar then prick out into individual trays until transplanted.
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I was also wondering what the easiest ways to save seed would be. I have slices drying on a sunny windowsill which seems to work well.
Dehydration in the fridge also sounds like a good idea, I may move them there after.
I also just ate some very tasty strawberry icecream which was made from real strawberries! Shock horror!
I saved 10 or so seeds as I ate them so now I can add what I’ll just call the strawberry icecream variety to my mix haha
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I’m getting Mara des bois, a three way cross with wild strawberries. I don’t think i’ll be breeding with them, but i could save seeds for the seed train and send you personally.
these selle out everywhere in no time
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Damn, if only the UK could be part of the EU… 
It’s an older variety it’s been sold in UK for quite some time now. Better pull the wallet Geoffrey 
if you’re going to sit and wait for politicians to get reasonable you won’t get nothing.
That would be great @Hugo! If you are willing and able I will definitely accept. Id love to add to the “Pre-Grex” seed mix im working on.
We have a half dozen varieties of strawberry here at my parents place. I don’t know the names, but they are all growing in patches not far from each other. Im now wondering how easy it is for them to cross? I also have been collecting from the wild strawberries and adding them to the mix, and the land we finally closed on a few days ago used to be in organic strawberry production, which gives us yet another variety. This one supposedly goes by the name “Senga Sengana”. At my parents place there are some that are very large, some that have white flesh with red skin, some are red on the outside as well as inside, one of them is more of a clumping habit rather than running, and one of them produces fruits twice throughout the season.
Ive been going around and picking any slug damaged or half eaten fruits for purpose of saving the seeds, plus making sure to get at least some seeds from all varieties. I might be selecting for slug and pest susceptible genetics, but I don’t think initially this will matter so much. Main thing is to get the seeds. I hope to plant these all closely together as to maximize crossing, and eventually getting true strawberry grex seeds.
Then the landrace can really begin!
Photo of the seeds saved so far:
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