I always though it was a reference for covering the ground around strawberry plants with dry straws. Strawberries especially go bad if the berries touch moist ground, gathering mold or fungus, and you'll also want to avoid weeds, so a thick layer of dried straws work perfectly for farming strawberries.
I think the real title is "The Oxford Etymologist doesn't know how strawberry got their name"
Worked on a commercial strawberry farm for a little while and we would cover the strawberry fields with straw around November to protect the plants over the winter. It would also prevent weeds during the next growing season as the parent post mentions.
keyanp|9 years ago
Worked on a commercial strawberry farm for a little while and we would cover the strawberry fields with straw around November to protect the plants over the winter. It would also prevent weeds during the next growing season as the parent post mentions.