Strawberry Hot Pink Berri Basket Seeds | West Coast Seeds
Regular price $15.99Fabulous, large, hot-pink flowers are followed by large, deep red, full flavoured fruits on this compact, bushy, ever-bearing variety. Hot Pink Berri Basket strawberry seeds need an early start indoors, if you want fruits in the first year. Otherwise, treat it as a perennial, and sow at any time, expecting strawberries from the second year forward. This variety will produce until frost if it's kept picked, and it's hardy down to Zone 5.
Well-suited to container growing, the plants look amazing in baskets, window boxes and flower pots.
Exposure: Full sun
Zone: Most strawberries are hardy to Zone 5
Timing
Strawberry seeds benefit from vernalization, which is the simulation of winter in order to break dormancy. Start any time in early to late winter. After that time, they will still work, but they may not produce berries during the first season.
Starting
Seal strawberry seed packets in a plastic bag or airtight container and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. Remove the bag or container from the refrigerator and allow the seeds to reach room temperature over a day or two before breaking the seal. Opening the package too quickly may result in water condensing on the cold seeds, and this will reduce your chances of success. Then, sow the seeds on the surface of pre-moistened, seed starting mix in trays or small containers. Keep the seeded trays under bright fluorescent lights at a constant temperature of 18-24°C (65-75°F). Ensure the seed starting mix stays moist. Germination may take anywhere from 7 to 42 days. Once seeds germinate, increase ventilation to prevent damping off.
Growing
When seedlings have their third true leaf, they can be transplanted into their own pots. Be sure to harden the seedlings off gradually before transplanting outside. Space transplants 60cm (24”) apart in rows 90-120cm (36-48”) apart. Grow strawberries in a well-drained, sandy loam that has been generously dug with organic matter such as finished compost or well-rotted manure. Dig 60mL (1/4 cup) complete organic fertilizer into the soil beneath each transplant. Keep soil moist, but not soggy. A mulch of straw around plants may help prevent the soil from drying out.
