Strawberry plants, questions, different types? *DIALUP WARNING*

[jp11]

I bought some roots from the store this year. I had tried getting seeds to grow last year but the things that actually sprouted just became giant towering leafy monsters with no strawberries. I used seeds from store bought strawberries and some I scoured from some frozen ice-cream strawberries.

So this is what I've got so far from the roots I bought:


This doesn't look like the other plants from the same batch, the one in the middle is different than the others and the one in the lower left corner looks like the others do. Also I have those smaller 4 leaf plants around the one in the center popping up all over the place. I assume it is some weed from the soil?

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I have one other like this.
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This is what other strawberry plants from that batch look like, the large one in the center. Again I don't know what those smaller somewhat spade shaped plants are or the more longer leafed tongue shaped ones are, random soil seed 'weeds'?

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And the biggest of the plants:
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So is this 'right' there are supposed to be different types to get the bees to cross pollinate or do I have something else going on like weeds?

[kurtzapril4]

1. Here goes!

The large, 3-leafed plants in the first two pictures are strawberries...everything else is weeds. Seeds taken from strawberries often don't sprout because they're sterile. Don't bother trying to plant strawberries from seed...it's much easier to get plants at the local garden center. Strawberries self pollinate, so there's no need to have more than one kind, and they are propagated by the runners they produce.

[jp11]

2. Thanks a million.

After my first attempt last year I gave up on their seeds.

Death to the weeds!

[Curmudgeoness]

3. I can identify the spade-leafed weeds

you are growing....they are lamb's quarter. It is a common weed, but it is edible, especially when young before they flower (you hardly see the "flowers&quot . Just take a leaf and eat it to see it is like a lettuce, and can be added to salads. But I don't suppose you want to purposely grow them.

As to strawberries, I have to agree that you should just buy some plants. I am surprised that you got any to grow from commercial strawberries from the store, so kudos to you for that.....but they may not fruit as you expect if they are some hybrid.

[jp11]

4. Thank you.

Wasn't trying to grow them but I might give them a shot, my lettuce hardly survives planting, squirrels, or bugs.

Looking back on it and your identification of lambs quarter I think that is what grew when I tried planting seeds, I found a pic of a 6ft lamb's quarter that looked a lot like what I thought was a mutant strawberry plant mocking me by not bearing any berries.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. LOL. You are really going to enjoy gardening

with all the fun and games finding out whether plants are good or bad. I have a ball. Too bad that 9 out of 10 times, my sit-and-wait to see what I have is disappointing. But it is fun too.

Also, because of my propensity to grow weeds better than plants I want, I have studied what weeds have any value as edibles or medicinals. Funny how gardening experiences evolve.