Antoine Nicolas Duchesne

February 18, 1827
Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist, gardener, and professor at Versailles, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne (“do-Shane”).

A specialist in strawberries and gourds, Antoine was a student of Bernard de Jussieu at the Royal Garden in Paris. A plant pioneer, Antoine, recognized that mutation was a natural occurrence and that plants could be altered through mutation at any time.
As a young botanist, Antoine began experimenting with strawberries. Ever since the 1300s, wild strawberries had been incorporated into gardens. But on July 6, 1764, Antoine created the modern strawberry - the strawberry we know today.
Strawberries are members of the rose family, and they are unique in that their seeds are on the outside of the fruit. 

Just how many seeds are on a single strawberry? The average strawberry has around 200 seeds.
To get your strawberry plant to produce more fruit, plant in full sun, in well-drained soil, and trim the runners.