Every week or two I run the lawnmower over the backyard, grass, weeds and all.  The last few times I noticed some bright red objects in the grass.  I dismissed them as some type of mushroom since they didn’t look like any type of strawberry I knew of.

For the 4th of July my know-it all-sister was up from Virginia lecturing me on all the “dangerous” weeds she could find growing around the property.  Having recently purchased a farm down south after living at the Jersey Shore her whole life, she thinks she’s the plant expert on all things.  She told me I had super poisonous chokeberry (Aronia) growing.  I googled it and found it was invasive but harmless, with the berries high in anti-oxidants.  Perhaps she confused it with the Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), which produces cyanide.  Either way I’ll have to dispose of the plant to make her happy. 

While giving her a tour of my vegetable garden, she noticed the red tiny things in the backyard I mentioned earlier.  “You’ve got wild strawberries” she exclaimed.  I was doubtful, but she showed me how the leaf was similar to the strawberries I had actually planted.  So I took her word for it.

The next day I dug up three of the “wild strawberries” and found they were all chained together by a string of runners.  The berries certainly looked like a strawberry in texture.   My plan was to take the berries out of the lawn and transplant them into my garden.  To avoid past mistakes, I grabbed a bucket of grass clippings and thoroughly mixed the soil with the organic matter.  I made sure the roots and soil around them were moist as I patted down the soil.

When finished , I searched the internet for “wild strawberries” on what type they might be.  That’s when I started to see the name “Mock strawberry” and “Indian Strawberry” showing up.  More research showed that the mock strawberry was invasive at best and had no taste.  The tell tale sign was the wild strawberries have a white flower, but mock strawberries have yellow flowers.

Ah crap.  I ran out to the backyard and checked the grass for more berries.  Sure enough I found yellow flowers on some of the tiny vines.  Needless to say, those vines I planted only an hour ago suddenly found themselves on top of the compost pile. 

Taking chances and learning from the mistakes is what Gardening Adventures is all about.  Tonight my wife returns with my digital camera, and my readers will finally get a chance for some close up pictures from my garden.