• Strawberries can grow indoors in pots.strawberry image by Edvin selimovic from Fotolia.com
  
  Strawberries normally grow outdoors during summer, but they also survive indoors when gardeners can mimic summer conditions. It does not have to be expensive to grow strawberries indoors, but some simple care tips lessen the cost and increase strawberry plant health and production. In general, strawberries require a decent amount of maintenance but are not particularly difficult to grow and harvest.
  
  

Pots

• Buy inexpensive pots. Fancy decorative plant pots can cost more than strawberry seeds and planting supplies combined, but expensive pots do not help strawberries grow better. Many gardening stores sell inexpensive plastic pots. Just make sure to choose pots with good drainage, since the University of Illinois recommends growing strawberries in conditions with lots of drainage.
  
  

Fertilizer

• Use homemade compost as fertilizer rather than buying fertilizer. The University of Illinois explains that strawberry plants like nutrient-rich soil. Gardeners may increase nutrient levels in soil by adding store-bought fertilizers, but the University of Minnesota also suggests using compost as a plant fertilizer. Strawberry growers can easily start their own at-home compost piles by creating an outdoor pile of leftover foods, raked leaves and yard trimmings.
  
  

Sunlight

• The National Gardening Association explains that strawberry plants prefer a lot of sunlight. Choose an indoor growing site surrounded by windows so strawberry plants receive close to as much sun indoors as they would have outdoors. More sunlight will mean more productive strawberry plants, so fewer plants and supplies (and less money) will be necessary to produce a large amount of strawberries.
  
  

Earliglow Strawberries

• Although strawberries generally prefer lots of sunlight, the National Gardening Association explains that a variety of strawberries called "earliglow" produces a higher yield with some shade. Gardeners who already have earliglow seeds may want to consider placing them in an area with 60 percent shade. Gardeners who have not already purchased strawberry seeds should consider earliglow seeds if the indoor growing area does not receive full sunlight. More productive plants mean fewer plants and supplies are required to produce the same amount of fruit.