I have to confess that I’m not the best cranberry grower, my last two bushes died within a year due to lack of care and knowledge. However, I am one determined girl and after much research I am ready to try again, I will have cranberries for christmas dinner!
The first things you need to know about cranberry bushes is that they thrive in Ericaceous compost, they prefer acidity and also love being moist all the time (but not boggy!) When watering them it is always best to use rain water as this is neautral, using tap water could undo all your hard work as it is most probably limey. This is where I think I went wrong with my last cranberry bushes, they were positioned under my shed’s roof so they were only fed with tap water, silly me!
Cranberry bushes are ground covering, decideous and produce delicate flowers in the Spring, fruits in Autumn and colourful foliage in the Winter. They don’t require any pruning and are high in vitiman C. They also trail rather well so will look great in a pot. Just remember that if you decided to place them in the ground you will need to check your soils acidity, if not then a raised bed filled with ericaceous soil will work perfectly well.
And remember, water well with rain water!
One thought on “Planting Guide: Cranberries”
I don’t know much about growing cranberries, but I do know where they are grown- in cranberry bogs. That should give you a hint. Google “cranberry bog cape cod” and look at the images. There is info on how to grow them, but the word “bog” is a clue.