How Long Does It Take for Strawberries to Germinate?

Pretreatment

• Giving strawberry seeds a cold treatment before sowing them can be the difference between waiting about 30 days for germination to set in and waiting anywhere from four to 14 days. Seal the seeds in a glass jar or in a plastic sandwich bag, and store this in the freezer for up to four weeks. When you remove the seeds from the freezer, leave them in the jar or bag for a few hours so they can get back to room temperature.

Starting the Seeds

• Start the seeds about eight to 10 weeks before transplanting them outside. Fill a seed-starting tray with moist, sterile seed-starting mix. Then, sprinkle the seeds on the soil surface and lightly dust a 1/2-inch layer of the mix over them. Avoid thickly covering the seeds, because they need light exposure to germinate. Lightly moisten the soil surface with a water-filled spray bottle, and cover the tray with a piece of plastic wrap to promote soil-moisture retention.

Germination

• To trigger germination, expose the seeds to a temperature of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Suspending two, 40-watt fluorescent lamps about 6 inches above the tray can provide the required light, as can placing the tray in a south-facing sunny window. Remove the plastic, and check the soil daily. If it's dry, mist it with water to keep it moist throughout the germination period. As soon as germination sets in, remove the plastic from the tray.

After Germination

• Before transplanting the young strawberry plants outside, harden them off over a two-week period. Place them in a sheltered area outside for two hours a day, and slowly increase their exposure to the weather so they can gradually acclimate. Loosen the soil in a sunny area of the garden to a depth of 8 inches, and work in a 1-inch layer of compost to promote drainage. Then transplant the seedlings 1 to 2 feet apart at the same depth they were previously growing.