Surely, you could just grab some canned or bagged berries from the grocery store, but just think of how delicious your homemade cranberry sauce would taste with fruit straight from your cranberry plant. If you give cranberries the right conditions, they are not difficult to grow. They need lots of water, chilly temperature, and soil rich in organic matter.
Due to its particular needs, home gardeners typically find that growing cranberries in pots or specially designed cranberry beds yields the best results. Clusters of juicy berries follow the flowers; they begin green, change yellow, and finally become vivid scarlet by October. The berries become more noticeable after the leaves fall.
Ideal Growing Conditions For Cranberries
For flower sets and fruit sets in the spring, cranberries need three months of chilly winter weather (about 1,000–2,500 hours) at 20°–22°C. Cranberries should not be planted in a south-facing spot; instead, they should be planted in full light but away from extreme heat because cranberry blossoms self-pollinate, bumblebees and honeybees will improve crop and berry sizes. Additionally, one needs to place cranberries a foot or two apart.
Cranberry Planting
- In areas with moderate winters, plant cranberries after the rainy season (september-october). Where winter is cold, plant cranberries in the spring after all risk of frost has passed. Don't plant cranberries while it's hot and dry outside.
- Before planting, prepare the planting bed by incorporating shovelfuls of acid peat into the soil.
- Cranberries can have their unique bed made from an old bathtub or animal watering trough buried in the ground, lined with ceramic tile and filled with acidic potting mix.
- Before planting, dig a hole that is twice as wide and half again as deep as the root ball. Wet the hole.
- Plant the cranberries so the new planting hole's soil and the nursery pot's soil mark are level.
- Place cuts of cranberries on 12- to 18-inch centres. Before placing the young plant in its new location, dig a hole slightly bigger than the rootball and incorporate some bone meal into the soil.
- Use commercial organic planting mix or a mixture of half-aged compost and half-native soil to backfill the hole. Tighten the soil to ensure no air spaces are left surrounding the roots.
- Use a liquid starting fertiliser high in phosphorus to water the newly planted plant.
- When the plant starts to grow, keep the soil consistently moist.
- Contrary to common belief, cranberry planting beds are not submerged in water.
Cranberry Care
- For several years, until the stems cover the ground and upright branches have established a solid stand, keep the area where cranberries grow clear of weeds.
- Only the top 6 inches of soil, which must be consistently moist, are suitable for cranberry growth.
- Winds can dry out or destroy cranberries when the soil is frozen, so shield the plants from the wind.
- Planting areas can be wet in the winter to counteract drying.
- Sand or grit topdressing will aid in weed control and soil moisture retention.
Cranberry Pruning
To maintain cranberries bushes, prune or trim them in the spring. Removing runners will also keep the plants compact and bushy. To prevent cranberries from getting too crowded, prune them by chopping off some upright fruiting stems and the sprawling stalks. Make sure to prune to give the remaining stems space to grow. For pruning, cut off any dead or damaged stems. To promote the growth of fruit-bearing stems, trim a few inches off runners' tops.
Harvesting Cranberries
When cranberries reach their full, deep red colour—typically in the fall—they are ready to be harvested. Ripe berries are not pink or white. The ripe fruit is red with no leaves Typically, cranberries are picked by hand or with the aid of a machine.