White Alpine Strawberry

Hermitian · July 5, 2014

White Alpine Strawberry. Listed in USDA GRIN as: Fragaria vesca subsp. vesca forma alba.

Drew has mentioned them several times in his posts, I have been also been growing (and previously selling) them for a decade, and the CRFG gives them a mention in the Fruit Gardener July-Aug 2014 issue, vol. 46, no. 4.

In my climate, they are prolific producers of strawberries spring through fall, and also produce a handful of strawberries per week in the winter. The ripe berries are thimble size and white. The flavor is slightly tart in comparison to grocery-store strawberries but also sweet or sweeter. Sweetness is mainly a function of potassium: the plants should be getting 1.5 as much potassium in comparison to nitrogen (by weight). One approach to achieving this is to use a fertilizer that has a 2:1:3 N-P-K ratio year-round (for example: 4-2-6 or 16-8-24), another approach is to give them foliar feedings of 20% potassium citrate during bloom phase (typical commercial approach).

I have two colonies of plants, each in 12" pots on my back patio. The patio is west facing, so they receive direct sunlight from 6am to 2pm most of the year, and 7am to 12 noon during the late fall and winter months. The relief from continued sunlight during our summer heat is beneficial for the plants. I water them MWF during the summer months with about 1 gallon per watering.

July 5, 2014	#1
Hermitian BANNED Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 1,112	White Alpine Strawberry White Alpine Strawberry. Listed in USDA GRIN as: Fragaria vesca subsp. vesca forma alba. Drew has mentioned them several times in his posts, I have been also been growing (and previously selling) them for a decade, and the CRFG gives them a mention in the Fruit Gardener July-Aug 2014 issue, vol. 46, no. 4. In my climate, they are prolific producers of strawberries spring through fall, and also produce a handful of strawberries per week in the winter. The ripe berries are thimble size and white. The flavor is slightly tart in comparison to grocery-store strawberries but also sweet or sweeter. Sweetness is mainly a function of potassium: the plants should be getting 1.5 as much potassium in comparison to nitrogen (by weight). One approach to achieving this is to use a fertilizer that has a 2:1:3 N-P-K ratio year-round (for example: 4-2-6 or 16-8-24), another approach is to give them foliar feedings of 20% potassium citrate during bloom phase (typical commercial approach). I have two colonies of plants, each in 12" pots on my back patio. The patio is west facing, so they receive direct sunlight from 6am to 2pm most of the year, and 7am to 12 noon during the late fall and winter months. The relief from continued sunlight during our summer heat is beneficial for the plants. I water them MWF during the summer months with about 1 gallon per watering. __________________ Richard _<\|\|>_