Strawberry
Fragaria vesca and F. virginiana
O
kay, so not every plant survived and bore
fruit in my first year. My strawberries
arrived as crowns (mother plants) obtained
by a friend from a farmers market. I planted
them in our EarthBoxes alongside some basil
plants, the latter doing exceptionally well. Th e
strawberries were not identified as a particular
variety, although I suspect they were an alpine
or wild strawberry that produces masses of
pink flowers and rapidly growing runners. But
after so much showing off, they delivered an
extremely small collection of tiny fraise des bois
that would have been a special treat if they’d
had any fl avor!
This coming year I’m setting them out with
more space—12 inches in every direction—in
a bed that had winter squash in year one. And
I’ve chosen a variety that I hope will bear just
enough to eat from spring through autumn,
provided that I pinch off fl owers and runners
on a fairly consistent basis.
To get more fruit in less space, you can ar
range the bed in a series of mounds 10 inches
across and 12 inches apart and about 4 inches
high. By doing this, you should get less vigor
ous runners, and the longer-lasting (day neu
tral) varieties should keep on producing berries
all summer long.
Be sure to mulch with straw under the fruit
and close to the roots to keep down root rot.
(Could this be the derivation of the word
straw-berry?) Pinch off early blooms and run
ners to increase the size of the fruit.
What appeals to me most—other than the
flavor that I should get by growing my own—is
that mine will be chemical free. Strawberries
are one of the worst offenders in sucking up
and retaining added inorganic materials.
The actual fruit of the strawberry are the
tiny seeds. The cone-shaped berry is described
as a false fruit—something like our economy
when we get a bubble?!
So what if I got used to buying strawber
ries every time I shop, I just like them on
my cereal along with blueberries. I don’t
really notice the cost, or even if they
come from South America. I just like ber -
ries, even if they don’t taste like our local
varieties. However, have I lost the taste
for what is fresh and best in season?
Answer: I could grow my own and
eagerly anticipate the coming of each
season and its special treats.
The Numbers
For each 100 g raw (3.5 oz ; ½ cup): 32 calories, 0 g
fat, 0 g saturated fat, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 2
g dietary fiber, 1 mg sodium
244 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
