When To Plant Bare Root Strawberries?

Question

I just bought a package of bare root strawberry plants. I live in southern Ontario with a frost free date of June 1st. Should I store the bare roots in my cold storage until the weather is warmer? Or plant them in pots in my house as soon as possible? Or could I plant them in my garden beds now and mulch them thoroughly as if they were in the ground all winter? The frost is out of the ground, the garlic and rhubarb is coming up. I also have a three-season in heated greenhouse. Would it be better to plant them in there? It gets pretty hot in there in sunny days and I am worried they might grow too fast before June when I can transplant the plants outside. Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Bare-root plants need to be planted right away or the roots could dry out. It would be better to wait till after June 1 to plant them outside, so I suggest planting them in containers for now and keeping them in a cool part of your home. This article will help you take care of them inside till you can move them outside:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/strawberry/strawberry-plants-indoors.htm