Our wild strawberries’ journey began on September 1, 2015.
This was our second alpine variety in 2015.
Please follow the germination tips in this link.
My variety was “Fragaria Vesca” or Woodlands Strawberries.
This pack (local supermarkets’ brand) of seeds did not have a good germination rate.
Out of 30 seeds, only 5 germinated.
This was our first comparison between red (Fragaria Vesca) and white Alpine (White Soul) varieties.
The latter was very small seedlings that grew slower than red Alpines.
Strawberries with runners’ tendencies seem to be faster-growing plants.
They grew taller from the second month, have thicker stems and crown than the other varieties.
Wild Strawberry would be the most challenging variety for us because they have runners and we have limited space.
When they were 4 months old, we decided to plant them in outdoor pots.
We mulched the topsoil with dried leaves to prevent heat from penetrating to roots level.
In the beginning, we froze bottles and lay them on top to cool the plants in the afternoon.
As our rainy season approached, this extra care was reduced.
To nourish the soil, we add ground coffee grinds and crushed eggshells around our plants.
Little did we know, being new gardeners, that the scent of rotting egg membrane would attract snails and other pests.
SNAIL/SLUGS AFRAID OF EGGSHELLS – A MYTH BUSTED
It was a myth finally witnessed, that snails were not only not afraid of sharp eggs shells.
They loved to eat and have no problem crossing over them and ate up all the shells and finally, our precious strawberry plants.
Snails, not the tropical heat were the biggest threat for outdoor strawberries!
They ate even the crown so the strawberries could not revive and breed in the pots.
We were lucky to be able to spot them in time and saved half of our plants.
We began another journey in late 2016.
This journal continued in another post about outdoor plants till 2018.
NOTES ON Wild Woodlands Strawberries : –
The matured plants are 6 to 12 inches tall
Reproduce by stolons (above ground runners) and it needs space to run
Better in big pots
Good one …