How To Grow Cranberries At Home and Harvesting

How to grow cranberries at home growing planting harvesting article has full discussion about cranberries. So Let’s go viewers. Stay with smallveggarden.com. Have you ever considered growing your own cranberries so that you can always find juice, smoothies, pies and of course a new supply for your holiday table? I like to use fresh cranberries in baking. Nothing beats fresh cranberry breads and muffins straight from the oven. And dried cranberries are a staple of my homemade breakfast granola mix. A vertical image of an adult cranberry tree with bright red berries growing in the garden, illuminated by light sun in a soft focus background. In the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

Instead of buying a jar of mass-produced sauce as a holiday turkey companion, roasted cranberries are a staple item on my Christmas table, but much more about it later. So it’s a shame that a lot of people think that cranberries are too hard to grow at home, or that they just grow on bogs. Growing cranberry trees in your garden is actually quite easy – if you can meet three very important conditions for their growth: acidic soil, adequate moisture and 1000-2500 hours of cooling temperature between 32 and 45 F. While it’s true that these grow commercially in natural or man-made bugs, and you’ve seen farmers wear knee-deep water weeders, they don’t grow that way – just a commercial method of harvesting “wet” crops.

How To Grow Cranberries At Home

Cranberry Hall North America Vs. A native species of macrocarpon, aka the larger, true or American cranberry, while the most widely grown variety in Europe is V. Oxycoccus. The North American variety is suitable for cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zone 2-7. It is a woody, low-growing, perennial plant with rhizomatous roots, up to six feet tall and can be planted in beds or containers. Most flowers and fruits are carried “upwards” with the habit of long vertical growth up to 18 inches, which sprouts from the buds of runners.

Of course, cranberries have a rich history in North America, long before settlers decided to cultivate them commercially. Near-horizontal image of Vaccinium macrocarpon tree with bright red fruits and dark green leaves growing in the garden. Locals, including Algonquin, Cree, and Chippewa, collected wild cranberries for use as food, medicine, and dyes. Algonquin calls them sasamanash, which means “talk berry”. If you’re wondering when the most popular cranberry sauce first appeared, it was back in the Pilgrim Cookbook in 1663.

They didn’t just collect berries. According to an article by Sarah Whitman-Salkin in National Geographic Magazine, the leaves were used to make a fresh tea and even used Inuktitut as an alternative to tobacco. Iroquois and Chippewa used the fruit for various medicinal purposes. The fruit is traditionally used to make small cakes with a mixture of pemican, dried meat, fat and berries. Pemican is a nutritious meal that lasts for several months, ideal during times of food shortage or when traveling – a traditional “energy bar”, perhaps.

How To Grow Cranberries At Home From Seeds

Unless they are labeled as “pre-stratified”, a cold stratification will be required before sowing the seeds. You can do this by refrigerating it for about three months before sowing it at home. Once they have cooled, you will need a three to four inch pot and some acidic, Ericas potting mixture. Place two seeds in each container, plant about 1/4 inch deep and cover lightly. Tap the soil and fog with water.

Find a warm place to keep pots – the soil needs to maintain a temperature of 70 ° Fahrenheit for seed germination. You may want to consider using a heat mat. Seeds will usually germinate within 3-5 weeks, although this may take longer. Keep the growing medium evenly moist but not watery, and do not let it dry out.

After germination, thin out the smallest seedling from each pot. Pots have a warm but not too hot (60-75 ° F) and water regularly, as these plants do not tolerate dry conditions. For the first year after germination, it is best to keep the seedlings in their pots, even to retain moisture, and plant in spring or autumn.

Cranberries At Home From Cuttings

A more reliable method of propagating cranberries is by cutting the stem, which easily takes root. Near-horizontal image of Vaccinium macrocarpon growing in the garden with dark red berries on a soft focus background. Prepare one or more small pots with a mixture of well-drained, acidic pots or regular potted soil replaced with peat algae or Ericaceous compost. In spring or early summer, cut five to eight inches. Remove all but the top four or five leaves and any flower buds and dip the cut edge in powdered rooting hormone (if desired).

Make a hole in the middle of the pot and place the cut about three to four inches deep. Your pots can be moved to a warm place with direct sunlight, such as a window seal or greenhouse. Maintain even moisture in the soil and remember: never let it dry out! After six to eight weeks the cut roots should be planted in large pots or in the garden.

Some variety to select;

• Stevens
• GH1
• BG
• Pilgrim King
• Valley King
• Granite Red

Growing Planting Harvesting

In addition to soil and water, cranberries have specific needs. Soil pH should be around 4.5-5.5. Although commercial businesses grow cranberries underwater, their gardens do not need to be covered with water. Be sure to test your water as well. If water is too alkaline, it can block the pH of your soil. Providing the right environment for cranberry growth is critical to their success. Cranberries have shallow roots that go only half a foot into the ground. If you dig a hole too deep, the tree will not grow. In case of doubt, know that the crown of the tree should be level with the surface.

Raised beds for growing cranberries are a good choice because it is easy to control soil quality. If you want to grow a few cranberry trees, consider planting them in large pots. You will follow all the steps above but use a quality pot mixture as the foundation soil. Make sure there are holes in the bottom of the pot so that the soil is well drained and keep a close eye on the pH level. Mulch is a key ingredient in cranberry care. The most important time to mulch is when the plants start to dry out, but light mulch is always a good idea to help retain moisture.

As the cranberries begin to germinate each year, place a balanced fertilizer around each plant so that they grow. From there, it is a good idea to add a slow-free fertilizer to them once a month. If your plants are thriving after a few years and you feel you don’t need extra fertilizer beyond a dose in early spring, this is your call. If you have high-quality soil, they may not need extra boosts every month. You will find out if your plants need nutrients when they are more established.