(Bare Root) Strawberries

Latin name: Fragaria ananassa 

🌱 Days to Sprout: N/A, Strawberries arrive with some roots pre-grown

😋 Plant food: Immediately upon arrival

✂️ Do not thin

🍅 Days to Maturity: 60-90 

💡 Light Zone: High

📏 Plant Size: 1 ft

💚 Care Level: Advanced

• Do NOT store Strawberries upon arrival!

  • As soon as your Strawberries arrive, follow 3 quick and easy steps so you can plant them on your Gardyn right away!

  • Unlike other yCubes, which start from seed, these Strawberries are bare root plants. They will arrive with some roots pre-grown for a shorter time to your first harvest.

• You cannot have unsprouted yCubes and Strawberries on the same Gardyn as the plant food needed for the Strawberries will prevent the yCubes from sprouting.

• You can place Strawberries on a Gardyn that has a sprout dose of plant food in it.

• Ensure your Gardyn is not in Germination Mode when growing Strawberries so they can receive sufficient waterings.

While strawberries are native to many temperate regions of the world such as North and South America, the larger garden berries that we know and love today were created in France by breeding two wild species. By the 1700s, these larger and more productive plants made their way back to the Americas, and by the mid-1800s, commercial strawberry production was well established.

This tasty Strawberry is a day-neutral variety that produces multiple harvests of sweet, juicy berries. Strawberries are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, and anthocyanins.

Strawberries are a low-calorie treat that add a burst of sweet flavor to your day. Eat berries raw as a healthy snack, or use them in desserts, smoothies, or jams.

Find videos + more tips in our Strawberry Care Guide!

💡Temperature & Humidity: Strawberries do well with temperatures in the 60-85°F range, and humidity levels in the 60-75% range. Watch out for browning on the edges of the leaves, which is a sign their environment is too dry. If you see this, try adding a humidifier near your Gardyn!

🐝 Pollination: Strawberries require help with pollination to encourage flowers to form fruit. When the white flowers appear, hold each flower gently between your index and middle fingers. Intentionally swirl the entire flower head 2-3 times with your thumb, ensuring you touch the entire surface. Pollination is an art, and uneven or incomplete pollination can cause your fruit to form funny (though still edible) shapes! Once pollinated, the flower will drop its petals and transform into a berry over the course of about 2 weeks. 

✂️ Pruning: While this Strawberry variety is compact, you may find you need to prune it to keep it healthy and encourage continued fruit production. Follow these vital Strawberry pruning tips:

• Never prune back more than ⅓ of the leaves at a time. You can remove any yellow or brown leaves if they appear.

• Snip off any flowers that appear until the plant has at least 6 developed, fully open leaves.

• Prune away all runners, or stolons, throughout the plants' entire life cycle.

• Prune your Strawberry roots twice a month by trimming away any brown, black, or slimy roots, along with any roots extending past the yPod. Regularly adding HydroBoost to your tank can significantly help with root health (among other benefits!).

🔎 Plant Health: Strawberries have very sensitive root systems, leaving them highly susceptible to root rot. To combat this, we recommend twice monthly tank refreshes, twice monthly root checks/pruning, and weekly doses of HydroBoost. Aphids and spider mites are common pests, but you can use our prevention and treatment tricks to keep pests at bay!

🍓 Harvest: Strawberries are ready to pick when each berry is red all the way to the stem. Color, rather than size, indicates ripeness. If you still see white or light red tissue, the berry isn't ready yet! For maximum flavor, give ripe berries an extra day or two to really fill out. They should feel soft to the touch, not firm. Harvest berries right off the stem by either pinching them off with your fingers, or using a clean pair of scissors to snip berries' individual stems.

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Recipe: Well Plated by Erin

Ingredients - Salad

• 3/4 cup raw pecans

• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced (or a handful of chopped chives)

• 10 ounces fresh baby spinach (or any leafy greens you're growing on your Gardyn!)

• 1 quart Strawberries, quartered (about 1 pound)

• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Ingredients - Dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pecans smell fragrant and the center of a pecan is tan when the pecan is broken in half. (Do not walk away from the oven in the last few minutes of cooking. This is when nuts love to burn.) Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.

2. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad (this keeps their flavor but removes the harsh onion bite).

3. Prepare the dressing: In a small mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well combined. (Alternatively, you can shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid).

4. Assemble the salad: Place the greens in a big serving bowl. Add the strawberries. Drain the red onion and add it as well. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the leaves. Assess the amount of dressing. You want the spinach leaves to be nicely moistened but not swimming in dressing. Add a little more if needed to suit your preferences.

5. Add the feta and pecans. Toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side as desired.

Notes

• Dress the salad as shortly before serving as you can. If you don’t plan to eat it all right away, dress only what you plan to eat right away, then store the leftover, undressed salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

• Refrigerate leftover dressing in an airtight container (a jar is perfect) for up to 5 days, then shake before serving.

Our Plant Health & Nutrition Team thoroughly tests each variety we offer to bring you the most flavorful and high-quality plants. We regularly rotate our plant portfolio, so please note, availability varies.