Elan (F1) Strawberry Seed

Scientific name

Fragaria x ananassa

Site and soil

Full sun to part shade, in moist, well-drained soil enriched with compost or well-rotted manure, pH 6.5–6.8. Get the bed ready 6–8 months in advance to knock back perennial weeds. Do not fertilize at planting; it can push soft growth that is easily damaged by cold.

Sowing

In the North, sow in March or April; in the South, from mid-June to early July. Sow thinly on moist soilless mix, press the seed in and keep it moist; seedlings appear in 2–3 weeks. Use open flats or 20-row flats with drainage, and keep the mix at 60–75°F (16–24°C) if you can. Move seedlings to plug trays or space them 1–1 1/2" apart in flats, then pot them on: 1 plant per 3–4" pot, or 3–5 per 8" pot, for finished plants. Plant outdoors at any time, about 1' apart.

Planting out

Space plants 12–18" apart in rows 3–4' apart. Some growers plant closer (5–9" apart in single rows, or 10–20" in staggered double rows) and remove every runner for the life of the bed. Set the roots straight down, with the middle of the crown level with the soil surface. Water and keep weeded. In cold areas, mulch with straw in late fall once plants go dormant to limit freeze-thaw heaving; rake it off the crowns in spring when growth resumes, leaving it between rows and under the foliage, where it keeps berries clean and smothers weeds.

Harvest

Northern plantings bear from midsummer until October. In the South, they fruit from late winter to early June, pause in the hottest months, then fruit again from late August through October. Yield and berry size drop when temperatures stay above 85°F (29°C). Day-neutral and everbearing beds give their best crops for about two seasons (or treat them as annuals); unlike June-bearers, they should not be renovated.

Storage

Unwashed berries keep 3–7 days at 32°F (0°C); freeze them for longer storage.

Getting established

For six weeks after transplanting, pinch away every flower bud, and keep cutting off runners through year one, so the plants build roots before they crop.

Plant counts

100 plants per 100' row, or 14,520 plants per acre at 12" spacing in rows 3' apart.

Packet

15 seeds.

Seeds per oz.

About 52,250 on average.