Strawberry Seeds

John W. Evans, 2/16/2021


for N.K.

 

They’re not what you’d think. They aren’t

seeds, technically. They’re achenes.

The seed is inside the seed

and inside of that is a tiny whole fruit.

Think of a tennis ball inside of the tennis ball can.

You get the idea. The achene splits open

and then the seed rattles out

If you can get it to grow

in the soil, after a few months, you’ll get some strawberry

plants, which are their own kind of headache.

We’ve grown strawberries three times here

in California but only once did we get any fruit.

Blackberries and raspberries are easier,

even blueberries. We got grapes to grow

in a big blue pot on the front steps last summer.

Did you know that everyone in California has a lemon tree?

Lemons are super easy to grow here.

It has something to do with the ocean air

and the cold nights. I had a neighbor once who used to sneak

into the other neighbor’s yard and steal a bunch

of lemons to make into preserves

each year until the neighbor finally left a bowl of lemons

on her front stoop. They became friends.

It was a socialist paradise: plenty for everyone!

Don’t listen to what they say on the news about California,

okay? Disneyland is here! And lemon trees,

avocado trees, orange trees, berry vines,

jasmine (indoors and out), wisteria, and wound

up into the branches of the apricot tree

a bunch of cherry branches that turn bright red

right when it’s about to become spring,

the season when you can plant

herbs, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers,

guava trees and every kind of rose

your heart desires, even the rare ice rose,

which only grows in this climate.

We have a wheelbarrow full of succulents out front

next to the neighbor’s RV.

I plant our strawberries with the lettuces and spinach

because they make each other taste better.

Here’s what you do:

scrape the thin skin of the strawberries

and dry them out on a piece of school paper.

The paper will get all gummy

but after a week the seeds will come loose.

You can mix the seeds in some sand and dirt on a plate

on the windowsill

until you get little sprouts.

Make sure you put the sprouts in the good dirt at the hardware store,

and spray them every day with water,

and wait. The waiting is absolutely the best part.

If you get a little territorial about your strawberry plants

you can put up a tiny fence

to guard against the squirrels and birds.

I’m telling you, the squirrels will eat anything

and they’re really smart. What you might do is talk

to the squirrels and make a deal:

they can have all the delicious ripe fruit

if they leave you just one excellent three-headed strawberry.

Tell the squirrels,

“Guys, no one has to get out the BB gun.”

They’ll understand.

Squirrels are smart like that.

And it’s a good deal for everyone!

One three-headed strawberry is more than enough

to harvest next year’s crop of strawberries.