Don’t be a fuddy duddy - plant pineberries

Words are funny things. Sometimes they pop into the English language, and no one seems to be able to trace where they come from. You may look “askance” at something “nifty” unless you are a “nincompoop,” all words that we really don’t know where they came from.

In the garden there are strawberries, another word of uncertain origin. The best theory is that “straw” refers to the small yellow seeds on the berries that look like straw.

Now there are strawberries that taste like pineapples! This is the pineberry, a white hybrid from two different strawberry species, the South American strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) and the North American strawberry (Fragaria virginiania).

This plant bears a small, white or light pink berry that actually has pineapple flavor. Pineberries are small, nearly round with very fragrant white or light orange insides. You can actually smell the pineapple fragrance in the garden.

The plants usually bear in the spring and then later in the summer, just like an everbearer strawberry. The plants only grow six to eight inches tall and 18 inches wide. They are hardy to USDA Zones 4-8.

Because pineberry is everbearing, it starts fruiting in late spring and continues on and off until frost. They don’t produce an awful lot of berries, but are so delicious they are worth growing. Besides eating fresh, pineberries are ideal in salads.

Like many strawberries, the pineberries spread by runners. Even though pineberries are self-pollinating, yields will increase if they are pollinated by a nearby red strawberry variety. This cross-pollination does not affect the wonderful flavor.

Pineberry plants are widely available from sources such as Parks (www.parkseed.com or 800-845-3369), and Burpee (www.burpee.com or 800-888-1447).

To plant pineberries or any strawberry, dig planting holes that are wide enough and deep enough to fit the entire root system without bending it. Just don’t plant too deep: Cover the roots, but keep the crown just at the soil surface.

Leave lots of room for the plants to sprawl. Plant pineberry plants out 20 inches apart in rows four feet apart.

If any roots are longer than eight inches, cut them back before planting. Ideal soil pH should be between 5.5 and 7. Pineberries need six to 10 hours of direct sun daily, so choose a spot that gets lots of sun.

Even though they can tolerate different soil types, they do best in loam. You can add aged manure or compost to the panting site several months before planting. Be sure your planting site is well-drained so the delicate roots don’t rot. They do very well in raised beds.

Because pests and diseases build up in the soil, rotate your crops, and do not pant them where any strawberries have grown in the past three years. Also avoid any garden spot that recently had eggplant, tomatoes, peppers or potatoes.

Pineberries have shallow roots, so you will need to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Water about one inch each week. They especially need lots of water when they are blooming or sending out runners.

A good mulch will reduce water loss and smother weeds.

After the growing season is over, mow down or cut back the plants down to one-inch high. Apply a thick mulch, such as pine needles or straw. Gently rake away the mulch in early spring, after all danger of frost has passed.

So for something exotic this season, grow pineberry strawberries. We may never know how strawberries got their name, but when they’re as delicious as pineberries, who cares? After all, you don’t want to be what is yet another word or unknown origin: a fuddy duddy.