Alpine strawberry Baron von Solemacher is a popular and productive variety and it originates from Germany. It produces a prolific amount of little, red, elongated fruits with a typical, sweet and aromatic flavour. You can grow them easily in pots, balcony pots and hanging baskets, because these plants don't produce any offshoots. This variety is a long carrying variety and can be harvested in summer till fall in the year of sowing.
Strawberries are delicious fruits and the flavour is nicest when they are really fresh. You can't get fresher strawberries than fruits from your own garden. These very well-loved, sweet fruits are very easy to grow yourself and very well suited for the cultivation in pots or small gardens for those with limited space. These strawberries are delicious in desserts, with yogurt for breakfast and of course in a delicious fruit salad. Very well liked by bees. Hardy perennial.
Indoor sowing: late February - late March
Germination: 15 - 20 days
Germination temp: 18 - 20 °C
Sowing depth: shallow - ½ cm
Plant spacing: 25 cm
Planting position: sunny - well-drained
Harvest period: May - August
According to some, strawberry seeds germinate best after stratification. Put the seeds still in the package in the fridge for two - four weeks. Let the seeds slowly acclimate for a couple of days to room temperature before sowing.
Start with sowing indoors or under protection of glass from the end of February. Sow in seed trays filled with moist and loosened potting soil. Cover the seeds with a very thin layer of soil, because alpine strawberries are light germinators. Place the seed trays on a spot with some shade and keep moist. Use a spray bottle to water the seeds, so you don't disturb them. Cover the trays with a lid to retain the moisture. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night.
Remove the lid when the seedlings emerge. Thin the seedlings out to 7 - 10 cm apart, when they've their second set of true leaves. You can also transplant the seedlings in separate pots. This way it's easier to transplant the seedlings outdoors. Harden the seedlings of in the beginning of May. Put them outdoors during the day for about 10 days. Put them indoors during the night. After this period you can plant your seedlings outdoors on a sunny plot with free draining soil. Frequent fertilizing and watering are necessary for good growth and production.
Don't plant strawberries on a plot where potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants or strawberries have grown within three years. As soon as the plants start producing fruits place straw underneath to prevent the fruits from rotting. Always water around the plant never on the plant. Protect your plants with nets, as soon as they start to produce fruits, against birds or snails.
