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Wild Strawberry

8 years ago

I'm calling this one Fragaria virginiana. I took pic today in Maryland. You can see my truck key in the back for scale. Ripe berries are few and far between. There were alot of plants but few berries. They were growing along the edge of a wooded area among ground pine and alot of moss so soil was acidic. The largest berries were about 1/2" and round in shape, very sweet and fragrant.

Here's my question, is this typical for the wild strawberry? How is it possible to pick enough to make jam, etc. Did you ever see a patch with alot of fruit?

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Comments (6)

wisconsitom
8 years ago
Sam, my N. Wisconsin tree farm patch is more or less covered by wild strawberries. As to your second question....pick lots of them!

+oM
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
8 years ago
I was just in New hampshire on my hands and knees with my coffee eating a scattering of them for breakfast . The lawn was wild strawberry grass, moss, Indian paint mix. There weren't many. If It was my only breakfast, I would have gone hungry.
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sam_md
Original Author
8 years ago
The area where I took the pic was along the edge of a wooded area which opened up to a power cut. Power cuts can be some of the most interesting places to go botanizing. Even though they are kept mowed they can have great diversity. Even though I didn't notice it, it may be that the strawberries were hit once this year by the mower and therefore few fruit. I will search for another spot next May/June to see if I have more luck.

I had a friend in Ashe County NC when I was a kid. She said she picked these by the bucketfull and made jam, so I'm still looking :)
docmom_gw
8 years ago
I wonder if the strawberries would do better without competition from surrounding vegetation. I am against moving or removing native plants from their location, unless it is to rescue them from development or herbicides. But, in this case, if there were ample numbers at a particular location, I might take one or two plants and attempt to propagate them. Or, another option could be to leave them where they are and clear out surrounding vegetation to allow them to expand and increase in place. I do hear that the small, native strawberries are the tastiest.

Martha
dstenerson
8 years ago
I planted a few Fragaria virginiana in different parts of my yard about 12 years ago. For the first 4 years, they spread like crazy but I never saw any fruit-a few flowers but no fruit. Somewhere along the line I planted some cultivated strawberries--they were a failure because I had no time to do a good job on my garden, but I noticed the next year I started getting fruit on my wild strawberries. The thought crossed my mind that the plants I bought (which were I am sure clones) may have needed a little cross pollination. Or it may have been coincidence and it was just that they needed that long to settle in and fruit. Anyway, they seem to bear a little better every year, but we are still not talking any more than snacks. But boy, does it make weeding more enjoyable when you find a few strawberries as your reward!
Diane Gorsline
8 years ago
We picked wild strawberries similar to that one in Indiana when I was a teenager, and my Mom made freezer jam with them.

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