Strawberries are not technically fruits. The large red objects we know as strawberries are actually the fleshy parts of a flower. Each seed on the outside of the flesh is a single hard fruit, so the strawberry actually carries many tiny fruits.
The strawberry plant itself is composed of a short stem with leaves, and this main plant sends out many little runners. These runners are mini plants, and form roots when they touch the ground. Farmers can remove the original plant and keep the newer mini plants, or let the main plant produce berries for several more years.
Strawberries like growing in deep sandy loam soil, and prefer a soil pH of 5.8 to 6.2. The plant grows best when it receives a lot of sunlight, but it also needs a good water supply. The best place to plant strawberries is on a gradual slope, with good water drainage.
Strawberry farmers plant a crop in the spring, and arrange the plants about 18 inches apart in rows. Strawberry plants go dormant over the winter, and so farmers cover the plants with mulch to protect them from frost damage.
Strawberry plants are also susceptible to pest organisms from other crops. Previous crops a farmer grew in the same area, such as potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant can leave root rot behind which can attack the new strawberry plants.
A strawberry's scientific name is Fragaria, which comes from the Latin for fragrant. Strawberries tend to decay more quickly when you wash them, and they absorb a lot of water, which dilutes their taste.
Strawberries need to be kept in the refrigerator as they decay quickly at room temperature and become moldy or squishy. They cannot be frozen and then thawed out completely, as they lose their shape and texture.
Sometimes farmers harvest strawberries before they are fully ripe so they remain firm longer, but this can mean they have not developed a full flavor. Sweet strawberries match well with chocolate, cream, ice cream and even alcohol, but a cook can also make them into pies, souffles, mousses or pastries.
The strawberry is part of the rose family, and the strawberry group contains more than 600 different species of strawberry. For example, Fragaria virginiana is a native wild strawberry species that grows in the whole of North America. The tiny wild strawberry is the ancestor of the large-fruited plants we recognize today.
Some strawberries are hybrids of different species and farmers can choose from an array of berries with a range of flavors and other characteristics. For example, the California Chandler strawberry has a good flavor but only grows to a medium size and has a tender skin. Other characteristics of different strawberries include resistance to rain damage, depth of color, susceptibility to root rot or mildew and yield of fruit per plant.