Every fact

111 facts, every one sourced

Every fact on this site in one list, each linked to its source. Our build stores the source text and checks that the key words and figures in each fact really appear in it; see the sources page.

1 Strawberries belong to the genus Fragaria: more than 20 species of flowering plants in the rose family, grown for their fruit. Britannica
2 Wild strawberries are native to the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere; garden varieties are now grown all over the world. Britannica
3 The garden strawberry is Fragaria × ananassa. The RHS calls it sweet, juicy and easy and rewarding to grow. RHS
4 A strawberry is a low-growing plant with a crown in the middle, from which the leaves grow. The leaves usually have three toothed leaflets and are often hairy. Britannica
5 The flowers are usually white, only rarely reddish, and grow in small clusters on thin stalks. Britannica
6 As the plant gets older, the mother crown sends out runners. They touch the ground and take root, making new plants. Britannica
7 A single mother plant can produce more than a hundred daughter plants in one season, according to the University of Minnesota. Univ. of Minnesota
8 Botanically, a strawberry isn’t a true berry. Britannica calls it an “accessory fruit”: the red flesh is the swollen base of the flower, called the receptacle. Britannica
9 The little “seeds” on the outside are really the true fruits, called achenes. Britannica
10 Britannica’s article on berries puts strawberries with raspberries and blackberries as aggregate fruits, not true berries. Britannica, berry
11 Cranberries and blueberries, on the other hand, are true botanical berries; so, botanically, are bananas, grapes and tomatoes. Britannica, berry
12 Strawberries are rich in vitamin C. Britannica
13 A strawberry spends about four weeks developing, but once ripe it can soften and get blemishes within hours. Science History Institute
14 Unlike apples and bananas, which store starch as they grow, a strawberry plant puts sugars straight into its fruit. Science History Institute
15 Strawberries give off more than 360 different scent chemicals, such as esters and alcohols. Science History Institute
16 There are three main types to grow: summer-fruiting, perpetual and alpine. RHS
17 Summer-fruiting strawberries are the most popular and have the biggest fruit, with a short, heavy crop lasting two or three weeks. RHS
18 Early, mid and late varieties of summer-fruiting strawberries crop between early June and early August. RHS
19 Perpetual strawberries, or everbearers, give small flushes of fruit from early summer to early autumn, sometimes until the first autumn frosts. The crops and fruits are smaller. RHS
20 Alpine strawberries, also called wild or woodland strawberries, give small crops of tiny, scented berries on and off through the summer. RHS
21 Alpine berries are usually red, but a few varieties have white or yellow berries. RHS
22 Alpines grow in sun or light shade and can be left to fend for themselves. RHS
23 Grow a mix of types and you can pick home-grown strawberries from early summer through to autumn. RHS
24 The RHS suggests looking for varieties with its Award of Garden Merit (AGM), given to plants that did well in its trials. RHS
25 ‘Cambridge Favourite’ AGM: mid-season, very popular and reliable, with good disease resistance. RHS
26 ‘Honeoye’ AGM: early, with plenty of large, firm, well-flavoured fruits. RHS
27 ‘Hapil’ AGM: early to mid-season, with heavy crops of large, glossy, sweet berries. RHS
28 ‘Florence’ AGM: late-season, with firm, well-flavoured fruit and good disease resistance. RHS
29 ‘Finesse’ AGM: a perpetual, with sweet, tasty berries from early summer to early autumn. RHS
30 ‘Pegasus’ AGM: late-season, with large, sweet berries and good disease resistance. RHS
31 ‘Symphony’ AGM: late-season, with glossy red berries and excellent flavour. RHS
32 ‘Rhapsody’ AGM: late-season, with large, glossy red berries and some disease resistance. RHS
33 ‘Vibrant’ AGM: an early variety that may give a second crop in good conditions. RHS
34 The musk, or hautbois, strawberry (F. moschata) is still grown in some places for its musky smell and flavour. Britannica
35 Summer-fruiting and perpetual strawberries are sold as potted plants or as bare-root runners; alpines can also be grown from seed. RHS
36 Bare-root runners look like little clumps of roots with very few leaves. That is how they should look. RHS
37 Cold-stored runners, on sale from spring to early summer, can fruit about two months after planting. Plant them straight away. RHS
38 Buy plants from a reputable supplier, so the variety is true to type and the plants are free of disease. RHS
39 The best times to plant are spring, late summer or early autumn. Plants put in during August or September have time to settle before fruiting the next year. RHS
40 Strawberries like fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. On poor or heavy clay soil, raised beds are better. RHS
41 They grow best, and taste sweetest, in a sheltered spot in full sun, though they will put up with some shade. RHS
42 Before planting, weed the ground and dig in two bucketfuls of well-rotted organic matter, such as garden compost, per square metre. RHS
43 With bare-root plants, trim the roots to 10cm (4in) if needed and spread them out in the hole. RHS
44 Depth matters. Plant the crown too deep and it will rot; too shallow and the plant will dry out quickly. RHS
45 Space plants 35–40cm (14–16in) apart, in rows about 75cm (30in) apart. RHS
46 Strawberries are traditionally grown in rows in their own bed, but they also make a good edging for vegetable beds or flower borders. RHS
47 They are easy to grow in pots, growing bags, hanging baskets, troughs and tubs. RHS
48 Containers avoid the soil diseases that build up in strawberry beds, and slugs and snails are less likely to reach the fruit. Vine weevils can be a problem, though. RHS
49 Traditional strawberry pots, with holes around the sides, look attractive but can make it hard to keep plants healthy and productive. RHS
50 In a container, plant with the crown level with the compost and space plants about 20cm (8in) apart. RHS
51 Under cloches, strawberries fruit at least a week earlier than unprotected plants; in an unheated greenhouse about two weeks earlier. RHS
52 Indoors, pollinate the flowers by hand with a soft paintbrush, or take the covers off during the day so insects can reach them. RHS
53 Alpine strawberry seeds germinate at about 18°C (64°F), but germination can be slow and patchy. RHS
54 A strawberry bed usually stays healthy for up to four years. Replant every three or four years, in a different place. RHS
55 Water new plants regularly while they settle in, and all plants in long dry spells. Hanging baskets dry out fastest. RHS
56 Try not to wet the crown or the fruit when watering, as that can lead to fungal problems, especially grey mould. Water in the morning, not the evening. RHS
57 Plants in good, mulched soil rarely need feeding. In containers, feed every fortnight in the growing season, switching to a high-potassium feed when the first flower buds form. RHS
58 Put straw under the plants when fruits start to form. It keeps the fruit off the damp ground, so it stays clean and dry and is less likely to rot. RHS
59 Wheat straw is fine, but barley straw is softer. Take the straw away in autumn, when it can harbour fungal diseases, slugs and snails. RHS
60 Perpetual strawberries planted in spring settle in better if you remove the first flush of flowers. Leave the flowers on cold-stored runners. RHS
61 Strawberry plants are hardy, but if frost is forecast when they are in flower, cover them overnight with fleece, hessian or an old bedsheet. RHS
62 To stop birds eating the fruit, cover the plants with taut netting on a frame before the berries ripen. Chicken wire also keeps squirrels off. RHS
63 To make new plants, peg runners into 9cm (3½in) pots of compost with U-shaped wire about 15cm (6in) long. Late summer is ideal. Cut them from the parent once they have rooted. RHS
64 Perpetual strawberries make fewer runners than summer-fruiting ones, so new plants often have to be bought. RHS
65 Pick only fully ripe berries, bright red all over: they don’t ripen any more once picked. The warmest part of the day is when they taste best. RHS
66 Eat them as soon as you can, because ripe strawberries don’t keep long. Frozen ones lose their shape but are still good in smoothies and desserts. RHS
67 After a summer-fruiting crop, cut the old leaves off about 10cm (4in) above the crown so fresh leaves can grow. RHS
68 Vine weevil grubs love strawberry plants and are a bigger threat in containers, but they can be kept in check with biological controls. RHS
69 Vine weevil grubs are plump, C-shaped, white and legless, with light brown heads, and up to 10mm long. They eat roots, so plants wilt and die. RHS, vine weevil
70 Adult vine weevils are dull black beetles about 9mm long that come out after dark and nibble notches in leaf edges. RHS, vine weevil
71 Grey mould is caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. On strawberries it causes a soft brown rot, often as the fruit ripens. RHS, grey mould
72 Grey mould spreads fastest in humid conditions, so it is a particular problem under glass. RHS, grey mould
73 Black eye is frost damage: the middle of the flower turns black while the petals stay white, and that flower won’t make a strawberry. RHS, black eye
74 Flowers in tight bud are fairly resistant to frost; open flowers are the most at risk. Avoid frost pockets. RHS, black eye
75 Spotted wing drosophila, a small vinegar fly first reported in Britain in 2012, is on the RHS list of common strawberry problems. RHS
76 Its female has a saw-like egg-laying tube that pierces the skin of fruit, so, unlike our native vinegar flies, it can damage nearly ripe and ripe, unblemished fruit, strawberries included. RHS, SWD
77 The RHS lists strawberry as occasionally or slightly affected by replant disease, when a new plant struggles in soil where the same kind grew before. RHS, replant disease
78 Slugs and snails aren’t all bad: they recycle dead leaves and are food for birds, beetles and reptiles. RHS, slugs and snails
79 The RHS’s list of common strawberry problems also includes strawberry viruses, verticillium wilt, fruit aphids and phyllody, where flower parts turn into leafy growths. RHS
80 In Europe and Russia, the small woodland strawberry and the musk strawberry had been grown for centuries. Univ. of Minnesota
81 The Chilean strawberry had been grown by native peoples in Chile for almost 1,000 years. Univ. of Minnesota
82 In 1712 King Louis XIV sent Amédée-François Frézier, an officer in French Army intelligence, to Chile and Peru, where he studied Spanish forts while posing as a merchant. Science History Institute
83 Frézier wrote that the Chilean berries were “as big as a walnut, and sometimes as a hen’s egg”. Science History Institute
84 The Chilean berries were paler and less sweet than European ones. Science History Institute
85 He brought five plants back to France; one was planted in the royal gardens at Versailles. Science History Institute
86 The Chilean strawberry crossed with a strawberry from Virginia. All modern commercial strawberries come from that hybrid. Science History Institute
87 Britannica says the big garden strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa, began in Europe in the 18th century. Britannica
88 The French botanist Antoine Nicolas Duchesne named the hybrid Fragaria × ananassa, because it tasted a little of pineapple (Ananas). Univ. of Minnesota
89 At the time it was called the pine or pineapple strawberry. Univ. of Minnesota
90 New varieties were being bred in England and other countries by 1800. Univ. of Minnesota
91 Most countries bred their own varieties during the 19th century, suited to their own climate. Britannica
92 Thomas Jefferson said it took 100 strawberries from his garden in Virginia to fill half a pint. Science History Institute
93 In London in 1680, a strawberry dish for seven wedding guests is said to have cost six shillings, about six times a labourer’s daily wage. Science History Institute
94 Crossing with the Chilean strawberry made strawberries larger. Science History Institute
95 The French word for strawberry is fraise, which sounds like Frézier’s surname. Univ. of Minnesota
96 The name probably comes from the way the plants spread. In Old English the berry was streawberige, and ‘strew’ and ‘straw’ could both mean to spread or scatter. Univ. of Minnesota
97 Many people think strawberries are named after the straw they are bedded on; others think of the straw colour of the seeds. Univ. of Minnesota
98 Strawberries and cream have been served at Wimbledon since the early days of the tournament, when the fruit was only in season around then. LTA
99 Wimbledon sells over 2.5 million strawberries every year, according to the LTA. LTA
100 In America, strawberry shortcake, made with sponge cake and whipped cream, is a traditional dessert. Britannica
101 Americans eat around 2.4 billion pounds of strawberries a year, more than six pounds each. Science History Institute
102 A 2019 study in California found that close to 44% of strawberries never leave the farm. Science History Institute
103 A strawberry-picking machine in Florida, the size of a school bus, uses 16 robots and can pick a plant clean of ripe fruit in about eight seconds. Science History Institute
104 The woodland or alpine strawberry, F. vesca, grows across much of the Northern Hemisphere and has small, intensely flavoured fruits. Britannica
105 Common North American wild species include the Virginia strawberry (F. virginiana) and the beach strawberry (F. chiloensis). Britannica
106 Wild strawberries grow in open woods, meadows, sand dunes and on beaches. Britannica
107 The Chilean strawberry probably first grew on the foggy west coast of North America; birds may have carried its seed to South America. Univ. of Minnesota
108 Commercial strawberries are picked by hand straight into small baskets. Britannica
109 Because strawberries spoil so fast, farms are usually close to where the fruit is eaten or processed. Britannica
110 Strawberries need relatively little fertiliser but are sensitive to drought. Britannica
111 Ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening of bananas, just makes strawberries age and soften faster. Science History Institute