Wild strawberry is an edible ground cover that tolerates full sun or shade. An excellent addition to a permaculture lawn. Best of all is supports early season pollinators. WIN!
Tiny, sweet, groundcover pretty much says it all. Not only is the fruit edible, but the leaves can be used for tea. Wild strawberry, just like cultivated strawberries, reproduces by both seed and stolons: stolons being much more efficient.
Strawberry makes a great ground cover. It is also one of the few prairie plants that tolerates full sun or shade.
We collected several gallon bags of the tiny fruit this past spring and tried to keep our snacking to a minimum. We let the berries stay in the refrigerator in plastic bags for a couple of months, then processed the seed.
Then we tested two methods for germinating the seed. We treated one ounce of seed by putting it into the refrigerator in moist vermiculite for 2 months. We treated another ounce of seed and put it into the freezer for the same amount of time. We got the best germination from the frozen seed.
As a child in Central Illinois in the 1960s we picked tons of these strawberries. I thought they had all died out. To my surprise I found a small bed of them. I sent 2 plants home with my daughter! Boy is she in for a taste surprise. I am going to transplant some for myself, as they are on the edge a farmers field.
No kidding. I have to instruct all of my young employees to limit their consumption as we collect the berries for seed. Sooo good.