How to Harvest Strawberry Seeds

Strawberries are a favorite summer fruit. They are so popular that many gardeners, with little growing space, choose to grow them in containers. However, few people know that to save the seeds for future use you must start your plants with heirloom or heritage seeds, not hybrids. Hybrid seeds, replanted, will not give you good results. Many times they will not reproduce at all. Heirloom seeds are not always easy to find at local nurseries or garden centers, but you can easily find them online.

Things You'll Need

Heirloom strawberry seeds
Jar
Strainer

Spoon
Paper towels
Envelope

Instructions

- 1
  Allow the strawberries, grown with heirloom seeds, to stay on the vine until they are very ripe. They will turn a deep red color, rather than the medium red for perfect eating. They will also start to feel a bit mushy, rather than firm for normal harvesting.
- 2
  Place the overripe strawberries into a jar with warm water just to cover the fruit and replace the lid. Allow them to ferment for three or four days.
- 3
  Put the strawberries into a fine-mesh strainer. Use a spoon to gently mash the berries. Don’t be so aggressive that you break or damage the seeds, which are on the skin of the strawberries.
- 4
  Run the strawberry pulp, still in the strainer, under cold running water. The strawberry pulp should run out, leaving the seeds behind. Use your spoon to stir the pulp if it doesn’t run out easily.
- 5
  Pour the seeds out of the strainer onto a paper-towel-covered plate. Let them dry for about five days.
- 6
  Put the dry seeds into an envelope until you are ready to plant. Be sure to write the variety of strawberry and the date on the envelope.

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