Can You Grow Cranberries in the Home Garden?

Cranberries need some attention and annual care to grow their best. They’ll produce bushels full of fresh berries for you to enjoy from summer through fall. Give them the right treatment, and they’ll thwart pests, diseases, and growing challenges.

These ground covers are native to northeastern North America from Canada through the U.S. They’re close relatives of blueberries, huckleberries, and lingonberries. Look for the scientific name Vaccinium macrocarpon to ensure you’re getting the North American species.

The Long Answer

Grant cranberry plants some time, attention, and care. They’ll thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 8. They need long, cool winters to do their best in spring. Gardens may require amending or extra protection but will work after they receive some fixings.

Choose A Productive Variety

Many commercial fruit growers use cultivars that grow better than the native species. These hybrids will also work well in home gardens—they’re proven success makes them good candidates for planting. You can grow the species type Vaccinium macrocarpon. It’ll perform best in its native range and other temperate zones with cool winters.

If you’d like to grow varieties with proven success, start with a type like ‘Ben Lear.’ It’s an early-ripening variety with medium-sized cranberries that taste delicious in sauces and smoothies. ‘Pilgrim’ is another excellent cultivar. It forms late-ripening dark berries and is perfect for gardeners with long growing seasons.

There are two other perfect candidates for the backyard garden. ‘Crimson King’ sprouts bushels of large cranberries early in the growing season. ‘Granite Red’ ripens during the middle of summer, but it sprouts berries with less tartness than other types. Use this variety for fresh eating or smoothies, as it adds a pleasant sweet-tart flavor.

Amend Poor Soils

These native ground covers thrive in boggy, marshy swamps rich in peat, organic matter, and sand. Peat is difficult to source, although organic matter and sand work well in its place. The goal is to create a loose surface material that’s porous, absorbent, well-draining, and acidic. 

As this species grows, it spreads tendril-like stems that root as they creep along the soil. They’ll struggle to breathe in areas with excessive amounts of clay. Although commercial growers flood their fields, they know they can only do so a few times a year. 

Excessive moisture invites root rot, fungal diseases, and pests. You’ll want the earth to be moist but not soggy. Add sand, compost, and leaf mold annually to boost your fruiting crop. Pine needles, fall leaves, and grass clippings also work well in their place. Apply these amendments more often if they’re available to grow healthy, strong, and resilient specimens.

Cranberries require acidic soil with a pH between 4.0 and 5.2. Use garden sulfur during fall or spring to make alkaline soils more acidic—in addition to this, you may also add organic matter like pine needles, leaves, and compost. Sulfur amendments take a few weeks to affect the soil pH, and organic amendments may take longer. They’ll begin to work after water helps them leach into the ground where microbes incorporate them further.

Select A Good Growing Site

Cranberry plants appreciate full sun to grow as many berries as possible. Full sun in zones 7 and 8 may mean too much sunlight for these cool-weather lovers. Grant plants afternoon shade if you routinely experience heatwaves and droughts during summer.

The best site is one with bare soil for these spreaders to grow into. They’ll grow as far and wide as you let them! Prune their tips to encourage bushier growth and to limit their spread. You may keep plants small and tidy—just know they’ll have fewer blossoms and fruit than rangy, creeping specimens.

Cranberries produce berries well in raised beds, especially amongst other perennials and annuals. Keep the weeds out so there’s no competition for resources, and prune taller plants if they shade your fruit. I grow a cranberry next to a lingonberry; they unfurl their sprouts near each other, preferring similar conditions. 

Water Consistently

Although these flowering ground covers tolerate occasional flooding, they don’t want wet, soggy soil that doesn’t drain well. Water them often enough so they’re moist and not soggy, like a wrung-out sponge. This may be more or less than normal, depending on the season and whether the plants are actively growing.

Winter-wet areas like the Pacific Northwest may need more sand in the dirt to adjust for excessive rainfall. Conversely, more organic matter will help the soil soak in moisture for plants that grow under dry, seasonal climates. Water more if the soil dries frequently and less if it stays wet. The more sunlight your plants receive, the more water they’ll drink.

Cranberry plants growing inside raised beds may need additional water than those growing in the ground. The beds drain quicker than those in the ground. Check on the plants every day or two to see how they’re doing, and they’ll tell you with perky or drooping leaves.

Use Cranberries As Ground Covers

Cranberries grow in partial shade, though they produce fewer blossoms and fruits than those in full sun conditions. If you’d like an attractive, flowering, native ground cover, choose cranberries! You have more liberty growing these fruiting plants when you don’t intend to use them for berry production.

Ground cover specimens will produce some cranberries you can collect and eat. Use them as edible landscaping plants with erosion control on hillsides, slopes, and boggy sites. Their rooting stems anchor soils, keeping them from washing away during excessive rains and storms.

To use cranberries as ground covers, transplant potted plants in fall or spring. Space them two feet apart and ensure they receive consistent moisture while they spread and establish themselves. Your specimens will need regular water to stay healthy and strong.

Will Cranberries Grow in Containers?

Yes, cranberries can grow in containers! They need a wide and relatively deep pot to ensure their roots have enough soil to creep into. Ensure your container is a foot or two wide and at least a foot deep. Fill it with a good soil mix for cranberries; blend sand, organic matter, and potting soil. Use compost if you have it or try a substitute like leaf mold.

Container specimens need more water in spring and summer weather. Warm days heat the pot’s dirt quicker than the ground, threatening your plants with dry soil. They’ll need water daily or every two days in the high summer heat, and less so as temperatures cool. 

Use the finger test to know when to water! Simply stick your finger into the container. If you sense lots of moisture below the surface, hold off on watering. If you feel dry dirt instead, apply plenty of water so that it becomes moist but not soggy. 

Store and Eat Cranberries

Cranberries taste tart, sweet, and juicy when you eat them fresh. They may be too tart for some gardeners’ tastes. However, they make delicious recipes for holiday events. The winter season is full of traditional dishes like cranberry sauce and jelly. Sneak the berries into smoothies for an antioxidant boost if you dislike their fresh flavor.

Like most autumn harvests, cranberries ripen all at once. You’ll have basketfuls of fruit to manage! Store the fresh, frozen, or dried fruit long-term with simple methods. Fresh berries are juicy like blueberries, while frozen ones last much longer. Dried berries are a tasty snack, although they require a bit more processing. 

• Fresh
  • Wash the fruit first and let it dry. Then, put fresh fruit in airtight containers with a cloth towel, paper towel, or napkin. The cloth towel absorbs excess moisture, and the airtight container keeps the berries fresh. They’ll keep for a month or longer this way.

• Frozen
  • Frozen berries keep their quality and flavor for a year with the right conditions. Store washed and dried cranberries in airtight containers in a freezer drawer or chest. 

• Dried
  • Use a food dehydrator to bring the water out of the fruit. You can also use an oven on its lowest setting. Scatter the cranberries on a baking tray, and turn them every fifteen minutes until dry and shriveled. Store dry fruit in airtight containers for six months or longer.

Pests and Diseases

You may see some pests or plant pathogens infest unhappy plants. When they struggle they have lowered defenses, and these outside pressures easily move in. Apply compost or an organic mulch to the site regularly, and keep your cranberries moist but not soggy. This will keep most pests and diseases away.

If you do see weevils, worms, or flea beetles, you may want to intervene. Spray small pests off your plant with water; pick large beetles off the stems and place them in soapy water. Use a micromesh netting to prevent moths from laying worm eggs. Drape the net over the plants, or keep it hovering with bamboo stakes.

Fruit rot, upright dieback disease, and some viruses can infect cranberries. The first two conditions are from an array of fungi that thrive in dry or wet conditions. Keep the cranberry roots moist without excessive moisture, and ensure they don’t dry out during summer. 

Excessive nitrogen and poor drainage can help the fungi thrive instead of the cranberries. Other diseases like viruses are often spread by thrips that bite tender foliage and flowers. Grow cranberries outdoors instead of in greenhouses to prevent thrip infestations.