fintuckyfarms
When is the fair? I thought it was going to be in late August. I wouldn't start the plants any sooner than 2-1/2 to 3 months before the fair. Given the right growing conditions the bare roots strawberry plants will take a few weeks to wake up and start growing foliage. Then within a month after that, they will have plenty of foliage and flowers. Within the next few weeks they will be full grown, producing plenty of flowers and in their prime (flourishing in about 2- to 2-1/2 months, given good conditions).
That said, for starting that many plants without a permanent home, I would build a temporary system for them to begin growing (propagation system). Actually I would create the temporary propagation system regardless of weather the main system was built or not. The best and easiest system for starting the bare root plants (as well as any seedlings/sprouts) in my opinion is a shallow grow bed. Use a short wide plastic tub/storage tote. Fill it with Vermiculite, Perlite, or coco fiber for a growing media. Then run it as a simple drip or flood and drain system. But if using Vermiculite or Perlite in a flood and drain system, be aware that it floats, so the water level will be a factor in how well it actually works. Personally I would set it up as a
drip system similar to how I did for the makeshift system I made for my
Mellon seedlings. They will be easy to transplant as long as you don't let them get to large before you transplant them into the main system.
Also just a tip for healthier strawberry plants. Strawberry plants are very susceptible to soil born pathogens. So unless your bare root plants were grown hydroponically, they were grown in soil, and I don't know of a commercial supplier growing bare root strawberry plants hydroponically. their might be some, I just don't know of any. Because strawberry plants are very susceptible to soil born pathogens, I would either dust the roots with beneficial microbes/fungi (specifically Trichoderma and or Mycorrhizae), or mix it directly into the growing media for a much more even distribution (as well as much less labor incentive with that many plants to do). I will be mixing both in with the growing media for my greenhouse operation. Here are the two products I already have, and will be using:
General Hydroponics SubCulture-B (for Trichoderma), and
Earth Juice Rooters Mycorrhizae (for Mycorrhizae). That will give your strawberry plants the best chance of being strong and healthy.
P.S.
I don't know if you have read this article before or not:
Berry Bonanza: Growing Indoor Strawberries