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.