Multi-bum stawberries
steephill
Posts: 2,644
in Fruit & veg
Apologies for the title but it is descriptive! I have lots of strawberry plants which produce these berries:-
Looks like lots of smaller strawberries merged together. The flowers seem normal and the fruits are delicious, just a funny shape 
. I guess it is some sort of virus which produces them. Has anyone else had this happen to their strawberries?
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I've had this happen before too steephill. No idea why it happens but it certainly doesn't stop them tasting nice
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'll get the ice cream!
If you google "funny shaped strawberries" you see some amazing examples
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
It's caused by incomplete pollination and can happen to any kind of strawberry and results in the flesh being 'pinched' in the area where the seeds (which are on the outside of course) haven't been fertilized.
I agree with Bob - it's poor pollination, most websites or books about strawberry problems describe them as cat-faced. Need more Bees!
It doesn't look like cat-facing or a pollination problem. I have had examples of that problem over the years and that distortion looks quite different. My funny strawberries don't have any pinched areas, they are fully pollinated, plump, tender and delicious.
Having done a bit more research it looks like this is an example of fasciation - http://strawberryplants.org/2010/12/deformed-strawberries/ . This seems to be caused by cold dry conditions in the Autumn which is a reasonable explanation as I keep them in a cold greenhouse which doesn't see any Sun from October onwards. I also tend to keep the greenhouse dry after the growing season is over. I initially suspected virus problems because I have let these propagate for at least the last 15 years.