Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Planting cranberries
• Part 2 of 3: Caring for your cranberry plants
• Part 3 of 3: Collecting cranberries
• Tips
• What do you need

Cranberries are a tart, red berry that is most commonly used in a variety of sauces, pies, and juices. It is also a popular addition to salads and is eaten dried as a snack. In recent years, cranberries have become well known for their medicinal properties, thanks in large part to their high concentration of vitamin C and antioxidants. Most commonly grown commercially, cranberries can also be grown at home. Start with step 1 to learn how to grow cranberries.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Planting cranberries

1. 1 Choose cranberry varieties. There are several varieties of cranberries that can be used at home. The variety you choose will depend on what you are going to use the berries for.
   • Hoves cranberries are small, red berries native to Massachusetts. They are easy to grow and will stay fresh long after harvest when stored properly.
   • Stevens Cranberries are a hybrid cranberry designed for performance and disease resistance. These are large berries, bright red in color.
   • Two more varieties are Ben Lear (large, burgundy berries) and Earley Black (small, dark red berries). However, these varieties are not recommended for beginner growers as they are more difficult to care for and more prone to disease and insect attack than other varieties.
2. 2 Plant at the right time of the year. Cranberries are best grown in cold climates, in zones 2-5. They can be planted at different times throughout the year, depending on the age of the plant.
   • Cuttings and seedlings can be planted throughout the fall, from October to early November. They can also be planted in the spring, from mid-April to late May.
   • 3-year-old rooted plants that are still actively growing can sometimes be planted in summer if purchased in pots.
3. 3 Prepare the soil. When it comes to soil, cranberries have unique requirements - they must be planted in soil with low pH and high organic matter. As a result, it is often necessary to replace existing soil rather than adjusting it.
   • The average size of a cranberry patch is 1.20 meters by 2.4 meters. However, if you are only growing one plant, an area of ​​60 cm by 60 cm will be sufficient.
   • Dig the existing soil in the cranberry patch to a depth of 15-20 cm. Fill the patch with peat, then mix with 225 grams of bone meal and 450 grams of blood meal.
   • If desired, you can add 1 cup Epsom salt and 450 grams of phosphate rock. (This amount is for a plot of 3 sq. M., So make the necessary changes).
   • Before planting, thoroughly moisten the soil (but do not flood it). You can do this by spraying the area with a garden hose, mixing the soil periodically to encourage absorption.
4. 4 Plant cuttings or seedlings. Cranberry plants are not grown from seed, but from annual cuttings or 3 year old seedlings.
   • It is important to know that cranberry plants do not begin to bear fruit until the third or fourth year, so whether you choose to plant cuttings or seedlings will depend on how quickly you want to fruit.
   • If you choose to plant cranberry cuttings, plant them in prepared, moist soil, leaving approximately 30 cm of space between each plant. The root ball of each plant should be 2 cm below the soil surface.
   • If you choose to plant 3 year old seedlings, leave approximately 90 cm of space between each plant.
5. 5 Alternatively, grow cranberries in a container. Cranberry plants grow best in the garden, where they have plenty of room for whiskers to spread. However, it is possible to grow a single plant in a large pot if you prefer.
   • Fill a pot with peat and plant a 3 year old seedling. Let the plant put the whiskers in the pot (they will take root and form fruiting shoots), but trim off any whiskers that extend beyond the pot. You can also fertilize the soil with a low nitrogen fertilizer, as this will limit whisker growth.
   • Indoor cranberry plants need replacing every couple of years (unlike those that grow in plots and support themselves indefinitely).

Part 2 of 3: Caring for your cranberry plants

1. 1 Be vigilant for weeds. Cranberry plants do not compete with weeds, therefore, it is very important to weed the garden regularly, especially during the first year. Fortunately, the peat moss used on the cranberry plot will inhibit the growth of many common garden weeds.
2. 2 Keep cranberry plants well watered. During the first year (and beyond), cranberry plants need constant watering to keep the soil moist. If the roots dry out, the plants will die.
   • A common misconception is that cranberry plants need to be soaked or submerged in water while growing. Although the soil should always be wet (or at least damp) to the touch, it should not be saturated with water.
   • Too much water can slow down root growth and the roots will not reach the required depth.
3. 3 Fertilize the soil. Soon, your cranberry plants will start to produce tendrils (strawberry-like) that will fill the garden bed before rooting and sprouting, they are part of the plant on which the flowers and fruits grow. In order to stimulate the growth of these tendrils, the cranberry bed must be well fertilized.
   • For the first year after planting, fertilize your cranberry bed with a high nitrogen fertilizer that promotes tendril proliferation. Fertilize the soil three times - once at the beginning of growth, the second time when the flower buds appear, and a third time when the berries begin to form.
   • To keep the tendrils from spreading within the cranberry area, you can use wood or plastic restraints around the perimeter of the garden.
   • After a year, you need to shut off the nitrogen supply to the antennae - this will help them stop spreading, instead the antennae will root and form vertically. Use a nitrogen-free fertilizer from the second year onwards.
   • At the beginning of the second year (and every few years thereafter), you will need to cover the soil with a thin (1.2 cm) layer of sand. This helps the tendrils to take root and prevent weeds.
4. 4 Control pests and diseases. Cranberry plants are susceptible to certain pests and diseases, but they are relatively easy to deal with if you know what to look for.
   • The cranberry pest caterpillar is a common problem where gray butterflies lay their eggs inside the berries themselves. If you spot gray butterflies around the cranberries, you will need to spray the area with insecticides to kill the eggs.
   • If you don't catch the cranberry pest caterpillar in time, the eggs will hatch and the worms will eat the cranberries from the inside out. When this happens, the infected berries will turn red before they are ripe. You can deal with this by picking prematurely red berries (in addition to the surrounding fruits) and getting rid of them.
   • Two other common diseases are red spot (when bright red spots develop on the leaves of a plant) and anthracnose. The treatment for both of these diseases is the same - spray the cranberries with an organic, copper-based fungicide in late June and early August, according to label instructions.
5. 5 Trim the antennae from the third year of growth. From the third year of growth onward, you will need to prune your cranberries every spring to control the tendrils and encourage sprouting.
   • You can do this by combing the cranberry patch with a landscape rake until all tendrils are pointing in the same direction. This makes it easier to identify the longest shoots and cut them off. Do not trim existing shoots.
   • Over time, your cranberry plants may begin to spread out of the field. If this happens, you can prune each of the plants back in the spring until they are only 5 cm above the soil line. The cranberries will not bear fruit this year, but normal production will resume next year.

Part 3 of 3: Collecting cranberries

1. 1 Harvest cranberries. If you have planted three-year-old seedlings, the cranberry plant can produce fruit the following fall. But if you've planted annual cuttings, you may have to wait three to four years for the plant to bear fruit.
   • Once the plant is producing fruit, you can harvest the berries in September and October each year. When the berries are ripe, they will be bright or dark red (depending on the variety) and the seeds inside will be brown.
   • Although commercial growers harvest cranberries by flooding the fields to make the cranberries float (and therefore easier to harvest), this is not necessary for home growing. The cranberries can simply be picked by hand.
   • It is important that you pick all the berries before the first severe winter frost, as cranberries will not survive temperatures below -1 ° C.
2. 2 Store berries. Once harvested, cranberries will stay fresh for up to two months when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator - much longer than most fruits.
   • Cooked cranberries (or cranberry sauce) will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month, while dried cranberries (which have a similar texture to raisins) will last for up to one year.
3. 3 Protect your cranberries in winter. It is important to protect the cranberries during the winter months to prevent them from freezing and drying out. You can do this by covering the cranberry area with a heavy layer of mulch (such as leaves or pine needles) before winter sets in.
   • You can open the cranberries during springtime (around April 1st), but you must be prepared to cover them at night when frost is expected, as a frosty night can kill any new shoots and prevent fruit from emerging this year.
   • However, never cover the cranberries with clear or black plastic as this can raise the temperature of the garden and potentially kill the plants.

Tips

• Cranberry plants usually produce about 0.45 kg. fruits for every 0.09 square meters of planted area.

What do you need

• Shovel
• Peat moss
• Cranberry plants (or 1 or 3 year olds)
• Blood meal
• Bone flour