Can You Plant the Seed of a Strawberry?

Propagation

• Strawberries are seldom started from seeds because the mother plant sends out plantlets that are easily grown. Commercial growers use these runners to replant beds annually.

  Starting strawberry plants from seed is practiced by home gardeners, hobbyists and those who want to send seeds long distances or store them for any amount of time. The easiest seeds to grow are everbearing strawberries, available at seed stores.

  Seeds sown indoors in winter are transplanted to the garden or containers in the spring. They will produce berries four months after germination. After keeping the seeds in the freezer for up to 4 weeks, sprinkle them on top of the garden soil and they will germinate in the spring.

History

• Wild strawberries are dime-size fruits with an intense flavor. They were prized at Roman feasts and used for medicinal purposes in the Middle Ages. European strawberries were not as sweet as North American varieties, but in 1714, a French engineer discovered large, sweet strawberries in Chile and Peru. He crossed these with a North American native strawberry, and the modern, sweet garden strawberry -- Fragaria ananassa Duchesne -- was created. The seeds were sold and traded across the world.

  More than 600 strawberry hybrid cultivars now exist around the world. Major producers are the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Uses

• Strawberries are a versatile fruit. They are eaten out-of-hand, sliced fresh to add flavor to foods like yogurt, ice cream, fruit salad or shortcake, baked in pies, made into jam, dried, frozen, and used with other fruits in baked goods. They are made into juice and wine, and their aroma used in dozens of products such as air freshener, candles and soaps.

Nutrition

• Low in calories, at 43 per cup, strawberries are high in nutrients. One cup supplies half of an adult's daily value of vitamin C. They are a good source of manganese and dietary fiber, iodine, potassium and folate. They supply 5 percent of the daily need of vitamin B-2, B-6 and B-5, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin K, magnesium and copper.

  Strawberries are rich in phytonutrients like flavonoids, anthocyanidins and ellagic acid, which are potent antioxidents that promote cellular health and prevent oxygen damage. They are anti-inflammatory, while protecting the heart and fighting cancer, and naturally relieve the inflammation that accompanies arthritis, asthma atherosclerosis and cancer.