I bought bare roots. They were no good, dead, not just dormant. So I started my strawberry plants from seeds I collected from purchased strawberries that had not been treated in any way. They are very slow to germinate, but I now have several tiny plants sprouted. I keep the soil moist, misted, and used plastic wrap to create a mini greenhouse in a cup. They like the sunshine. They need some tiny air holes once the tiny plants emerge. So far so good.