Two Wests & Elliott's Gardening Guide To Growing Cranberries
Although most of our growing guides start with selecting the seeds, when growing cranberries for the first time our recommendation is to start from a rooted cutting or small plant – growing from seeds is possible but it can take between three to five years before you would benefit from a healthy harvest.
Selecting The Plants When Growing Cranberries
Cranberry plants range from upright bushes to trailing varieties, so choose the ones best suited to your location and where they will be growing – in the ground, in a raised bed, in a container, in a polytunnel etc etc.
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Cranberry varieties we recommend trying include: Pilgrim – this low growing evergreen has leathery leaves and a cascading habit, making it ideal for growing in containers or hanging baskets. It will have tiny pink flowers in the spring followed by tart, juicy red berries when it is time to harvest. Once mature this plant can grow to be from between 10cm up to 50cm in height and width. From planting to the first crop should take 4 to 8 months, with the best crops being after 16 to 20 months. |
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Stevens – a favourite with chefs due to its juicy, sweeter berries, this hardy, evergreen shrub will grow approx. 16 inches in height. Perfect for growing in containers or used as a ground cover, it features dark green foliage and fragrant pink flowers whilst bright red cranberries will be ripe to pick mid-autumn.
Early Black – a hardy plant, which is happy in full sun and partial shade. It’s large, dark red, medium sweet berries will be ready to harvest mid to late August. Once mature this plant can be a height of 6 to 10 ft.
Redstar – a low growing, creeping, evergreen shrub with wiry stems and small leaves, this variety will spread up to 6ft and be between 2 to 8 inches in height. It is ideal for containers or hanging baskets and produces white berries which turn a deep red when they are fully ripe and ready to harvest.
Where To Grow Your Cranberry Plants
You have a few choices when growing cranberries – they can be either grown directly in the ground at your allotment or garden or they can be grown in containers - this could be a pot, raised bed or hanging basket – if you only want one or two cranberry bushes then this hardy evergreen makes a useful container plant.
When growing a cranberry plant in a container there are a few pointers which should help you to succeed:
Choose a variety suitable for container growing – for example ‘Stevens’ or ‘Redstar’.
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Select a pot that is at least 12 to 15 inches or bigger in diameter due to the spreading nature of cranberries – but you don’t need to worry as much about the depth as they only have shallow roots which grow into about the first 6inch of the soil. Use ericaceous compost (into which you could mix in some bark) – this type of compost is more acidic than others, so for cranberries whose ideal pH is between 4.2 to 5.5, this soil is favourable. |
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Add water retaining gel / granules to the compost – cranberries are bog plants so when grown in a container you need to make sure that the soil remains consistently moist.
Top Tip
It’s really important when you are growing cranberries in a container to check the pH of the soil at least once a year, ideally in the spring. If you find the compost is not acidic enough then you could use a slow-release acidic fertiliser to correct this.
If you want to try growing your cranberry plant in a hanging basket, select one of the low growing varieties, such as ‘Pilgrim’. You will need to use a hanging basket that is at least 12 inches in diameter and fill it with ericaceous compost. As cranberry plants are very shallow rooted they will need to be regularly watered as you never want them to run out of water – you may need to water them daily to ensure they remain healthy as they becomes established. The trailing habitat of cranberries will mean they will make an attractive display in a hanging basket, with the ripening fruits cascading down the sides.
Top Tip
Whether growing directly in the ground or in a container, cranberry plants will benefit from having some bone meal added into their soil. Although it sounds a little old fashioned (and there is nothing wrong with that . . . gardeners thrive on traditional practices) bone meal is still popular with gardeners as it is an organic fertiliser high in phosphorus. Phosphorous is one of the three major nutrients which plants need to remain healthy and bone meal releases this nutrient slowly, unlike a liquid fertiliser, and for plants like cranberries, a slow release fertiliser is good.
Looking After Growing Cranberries
Weeding – cranberry plants really do not cope well with weeds, especially in their first year, so it’s important to spend time keeping your plants clear of weeds.
Mulching – every November apply a 2-to-4-inch layer of mulch around the base of the plants, this will help to protect the plants from the cold, help to keep moisture in the soil and will add to the acidity of the soil which cranberries prefer.
Watering – you are best to use rainwater for your cranberry plants so it’s a good idea to have a water butt / barrel to collect and store rainwater throughout the year. Rainwater is better than tap water as it will help to keep the pH in the soil at the correct level whereas tap water often contains lime which would make the soil more alkaline over time.
Feeding – you only need to feed your cranberry plants once a year, using a balanced, multi-purpose fertiliser.
Pruning – you will only need to prune your cranberry plants after harvesting – removing any of the older stems and trimming it back into shape.
Protecting Your Growing Cranberries
Vine weevil can prove a problem to your cranberry crops, with the larvae over-wintering in the roots where they will destroy the root system. The best course of action for this pest is to use nematodes to kill the vine weevil larvae.
Ripe berries will attract both wild birds and animals (including rabbits, squirrels, deer, mice, rats etc) who will want to feast on your fresh crop so if you want to have any harvest left to pick you are best to protect the cranberries with a covering of net (this could be net only, or a fruit or vegetable cage, or a large material cloche etc).
Harvesting Cranberries
Cranberries are usually ready to harvest in the autumn, from September through to early November. The ripe fruits will be an attractive, deep red colour.
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From planting it will take three years before cranberries will produce its’ first harvest. When the berries are white or pink, they are not ready to harvest but once they turn deep red then they are ready to pick. Ideally you want to leave then on the bush until you need to use them – in fact ripe cranberries can remain on the bush for one to two months if required. |
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What you need to watch out for if you leave ripe berries is that you have them protected from birds – as they will happily swoop in and eat them all!
Why Growing Cranberries Is Good
We have all heard about the benefits of drinking cranberry juice, but what about eating cranberries which you have grown and freshly picked? Fresh cranberries have a notoriously bitter, sharp taste due to their high tannin content (other foods with high tannin contents include coffee, wine and dark chocolate) but are safe to eat raw or cooked. Fresh, raw cranberries are:
Low in calories – just 46 per 100g
Virtually no fat – only 0.1g per 100g
Good source of fibre – approx. 3.6g dietary fibre in 100g of fresh cranberries – just keep in mind that cranberry juice has virtually no fibre content
High water content – approx. 87% water when eaten fresh.
Fresh cranberries are also a good source of iron, potassium and vitamin C, together with E and K1, and minerals manganese and copper.