Strawberries are delicious and so versatile. Have them in a fruit salad, make them into jam, or simply use them to decorate a cake.
You probably know someone who swears that their homegrown strawberries are the best around. So sweet, so red and so tasty. It should be tempting to have your own supply and they are easy to grow.
You may want to grow your own strawberries yet do not know where to start. Pollinating by hand looks tricky and that might be necessary if your home suffers from a lack of sunlight.
There may be a limited around of space available for starting your own strawberry patch.
It may be surprising that a lot of strawberry growing kits do not require much space. They do not even require much maintenance.
With a smart growing kit to take care of the nutrients and the watering, you may only need to check the water level every so often.
Read our guide to find the right growing kit for you and enjoy some fresh strawberries.
Best for Hanging Planters
Best for Planter
Pots
Best for Grow Bag
Strawberries have notoriously shallow roots. The innovative design of Reeyox’s grow bag appreciates this with eight side pockets for free growing.
Yields should be boosted too by the open top where you can add more plants.
The design is simple and unlike other growing systems that may need hooks for hanging or pots to be stacked.
Find a space for the bag, grab it by the reinforced carrying handles and place it. The seams and thick, non-woven fabric are strong enough to support heavier crops but are ideal for strawberries.
As well as being washable and thus reusable, the grow bag is also made of breathable material. Ideal for allowing for well-ventilated roots and preventing water logging from overwatering.
Finding a space for the grow bag may be the hardest decision as you can put it in so many places. A balcony or terrace, inside a greenhouse, or outside in your garden.
Once your strawberry crop has yielded, fold up the grow bags and store the bag.
Pros
- Side Pockets - Eight side pockets in total to make growing even easier
- Thick Fabric - Double-layered and non-woven for stability
- Breathable Material - Ideal for air circulation down to the roots
- Easy Storage - fold the bag up once you are done with your strawberries
- Strong Handles - Allows for straightforward portability
Cons
- Lack of Instructions - Easy to set up but could be easier with an instruction guide
Best for Hanging Planters
An outdoor space is simply craving a hanging planter. All that accessibility to sunlight with so little required maintenance.
You could grow up to a staggering 22 plants with the Pri Gardens Hanging Strawberry Planter as there are 11 holes in each planter. That’s a lot of strawberries in one go.
The design takes care of most of the hard work. There are cup hooks included to hang each planter. Easy for your backyard, deck, or patio. Sturdy, reinforced handles make the planters simple to move and hang in position.
The felt material not only looks good but allows for more than enough oxygen to get to the roots. Natural air pruning should be taken care of and the material is even washable.
As these are hanging planters there is an element of protection against overwatering. You won’t even need to add sand to the potting mix. Just fill the planter with soil and water, plus you can plant on top.
Once your strawberries have sprouted, the bright red and green colors will light up your outside area.
Pros
- Cup Hooks - Included for simple application on your patio, deck, or backyard
- Reinforced Handles - To hold your planter in place sturdily
- Visually Impressive - The red and green colors will bring life into an area
- Washable Felt Material - Great for bringing in the air to the plant roots
- Hanging Design - This will protect your strawberries from the danger of overwatering
Cons
- Lack of drainage - The planters may hold too much moisture due to the lack of a drainage hole
Best for Planter Pots
For limited spaces, Mr. Stacky’s 5-Tier Strawberry Planter Pot really does make it easy. You only need a single square foot of vertical space. Simply place the included bottom saucer on stable grounding then stack it up.
The terracotta orange pots add a stunning rustic look to any indoor or outdoor space.
Once you have planted your strawberries, you only need to water from the top. With a flow-through design, there is no worry about root rot or overwatering.
The soil volume adds up to 24 quarts which all adds up for a lot of planting. This can be freestanding almost anywhere and you can create your own growing towers.
A bottom drip tray will also contain any mess that can occur after watering, keeping your indoors or outdoors looking spotless.
You could use this as a five-layer planter or break it up. Maybe you just want a three-tiered strawberry planter and a smaller two-tiered mini herb garden.
Fancy some succulents or flowers? Mix it up as there is so much versatility.
Pros
- Rustic Design - Terracotta orange pots to bring a rustic charm
- Flow-Through Mechanism - Only requires one pot to be watered for all 20 plants
- Bottom Saucer - For stable positioning
Cons
- Lacks Sturdiness - May fall over in windy conditions
Best for Ease of Use
Smart technology really does take the hard work out of growing your own produce. If you’re on the go and worried you cannot keep up with maintenance then the Click and Grow Smart Garden is for you.
For wild strawberries, the design could not make it any easier. Drop in the pre-seeded strawberry plant pod, fill up the water reservoir, plug it in, and leave it.
You only need to refill the reservoir when it runs low and that only requires a glance at the water float.
An automated smart system takes care of when to water the plants. Nutrients are arranged with the plant pods and the real genius is in the lighting.
A lamp will replicate the sunlight on a 16 hours on, 8 hours off schedule. Even during winter, this will provide optimal growth for your strawberries. It looks great and there are three colors to choose from.
You can also move the kit around easily to suit your space.
Pros
- Easy To Set Up - Just plant the pods, fill up the water, and plug it in
- Fully Automated - The watering, nutrients, and lighting are all done automatically
- Energy-Efficient LEDs - Weather-proof to ensure that your strawberries grow all year round
- Sleek Design - Choose from white, gray, and beige to suit your decor
- Portability - Move the kit to a planter or another wall with ease
Cons
- Tricky Watering - The water must be poured onto a flat bar to run off but can be limiting and spilling can occur
Best for Hydroponics
There are smart growing systems and there are hydroponic growing systems like Mingwell’s.
If you live in an urban environment that suffers from limited exposure to sunlight then consider this option. Light coverage is not even an issue with 80 36-watt LEDs and your strawberries will feel the benefit.
The rod can even be adjusted to enhance the growing stage of the strawberries. Even better, the LED mode can be altered to avoid the perils of seasonal growing.
With some growing systems, the water can become stagnant. Not so with Mingwell’s Growing System as a water pump helps avoid odor and even prevents the sedimentation by the fertilizer in the nutrient solution. This all makes for a cleaner, safer, and more efficient nutrient absorption system.
Have it in your living space, your study room as a therapeutic aid, or your bedroom.
Pros
- 80 LEDs - Provide ample light coverage for your strawberries
- Adjustable Rod - Can be adjusted up to 19-inches
- Water Pump - Automatically pumps water to avoid stagnation
- Control Panel - No need to worry about seasonality
Cons
- Unclear Instructions - Some parts could benefit from a description as to their use and how they fit
Best Strawberry Growing Kit Buying Guide
Finding the right growing kit for your strawberries can simply be a decision of how you want to grow them. The growing kits that are available now are for an array of spaces with different maintenance needs.
Whichever growing kit you decide to buy, having your own homegrown strawberries is a great addition to your home.
If you are a beginner at growing your own produce or want to get your thumb green then this is a start.
A strawberry growing kit can be a foolproof way to provide your home with fresh fruit. These kits come with all the components you need for your situation.
If you struggle to get natural light in or have little space to work with then take that into account. You may lead a busy lifestyle and worry about ensuring that your strawberries are watered.
The right growing kit is out there for you. You may also simply want the grow bag and then shop around for the best seeds you want. It should not be difficult to grow your own strawberries, just make sure they get enough light.
Before you decide on a growing kit, think about how quickly you want your strawberries.
Most kits only include the seeds, if you wanted to go a little quicker then buy the strawberry plants. These will already have leaves and blossoms meaning you have already skipped the sprouting stage.
With only a bit more growth over five to six weeks, you should be able to pick your own strawberries soon. This is compared to strawberries grown from seeds which can take six months to a year.
You can also shop around for your favorite strawberry seeds. This can be based on appearance or taste as there are so many different varieties out there.
You may also need a watering can or painting supplies to decorate your growing system.
Types Of Growing Kits
One of the most ideal ways to grow your own strawberries is in a container. This is relatively straightforward as strawberries have smaller root systems than a lot of other fruits.
Containers: Pots And Bags
If you decide to grow your own strawberries in a container then be aware that they require more looking after. They may even need daily maintenance yet that can be a case of just checking them.
Inspect the soil moisture and add more water if necessary as strawberries can quickly dry out. You could install a drip irrigation system and set it to a timer to make watering easier.
Hanging Planters
This type of growing system is ideal for someone with truly limited space. You may have a greenhouse yet all the floor space is taken up. Hanging up your planter makes great use of another area of your greenhouse.
You could also hang up the planter in your background or on the patio. Making extra use of space with a planter makes a lot of sense.
A hanging planter also does not need sand as the design already protects against overwatering. The strawberries simply look great hanging in a backyard or on the patio too.
Grow Bag
Another option is a grow bag. These also only require a small space but a little more thought. Not with placement as these can go just about anywhere yet the soil needs to be considered.
Regular soil can compact too easily and prove too heavy in the back making it difficult to move. Try to find a specific gardening mix that is suited for containers.
This mix should ensure adequate drainage, better moisture, and good circulation. Also, consider throwing in some organic matter for even better growing.
Another benefit of hanging planters and grow bags is that the material is reusable. Some growing systems even use breathable material for air circulation and ‘air prunes’ the roots.
It is flexible, durable, and washable which means once your strawberries have yielded you can grow something else.
The bags usually have strong handles that mean you can easily pick them up and bring them in once you are done. They are easy to store too, after washing them you can fold them up and put them away.
Hydroponic Growing Systems
A hydroponic growing system is ideal for a busy urbanite. With the watering taken care of, you only need to keep an eye on the water level.
These can also be moved to a different room as they look so good. With a minimal design, these growing systems can even add a touch of class to your living space.
With a set of LED lights, you can forget about the perils of seasonality and access to natural sunlight. They can even be set to a 16-hour on, 8-hour off-cycle to enhance the growing stage.
Fruiting plants strawberries should be unsuitable for hydroponic growing systems, but not strawberries. With smaller root systems they can be ideally grown with little fuss. No soil, less water, and no pests make it a high-yield, low-maintenance method of growing strawberries.
Best Strawberry Growing Kit - FAQ's
How Long Should It Take To Grow Strawberries?
If you take into consideration the whole growing process it can take around 160-210 days. That is from sprouting to harvesting a yield though it can take up to a year.
You can begin your strawberries with a growing kit indoors then move them outside as the seasons improve.
Strawberries should be planted in late spring or early summer and then produce their fruit the next spring. You should know it is time to pick your strawberries when they have a bountiful red color.
Where Should I Grow My Strawberry Seeds?
With a hydroponic kit equipped with LED lights, you can begin growing indoors. You could even finish growing indoors if you wanted to. However, once your strawberries have produced leaves and there is adequate sunlight you can repot them outside.
Are There Any Tips For Growing Strawberries?
If you are buying ready to plant strawberry seeds for a container then freeze them for a month. This is a handy trick for fooling your seeds into believing they have suffered and then survived winter.
Don’t worry, this is a natural occurrence and the seed pack should even come with freezing instructions.
Once these seeds have ‘experienced’ winter, thaw them out and plant them into clumpy, room-temperature soil. Due to the freezing, the seeds will believe it is now spring.
Remember that strawberry seeds are tiny and very delicate. Don’t plant them too deep. Strawberries seeds are notoriously small and can be submerged quite easily. Instead, just place the seeds on top of the soil then dust them over with a bit more soil.
The seeds should be shallowly covered which is all the coverage that they need.
Also, be careful with the watering. As the seeds are so small do not use a strong stream of water from a watering can. Instead, find a sprinkling adapter and just lightly and gently douse the seeds.
In the early growth stages of your strawberries, keep an eye on the soil. While the seed germinates and first sprouts it’s important to keep watering them regularly.
This may be every two, maybe even three days but keeping the soil moist is essential for good seed germination.
Plants have always been a big interest of mine, and I’ve always wanted to learn more about the different types of species. I have gained a vast knowledge of the subject over the years, and I have decided to share this information with others.
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