The cranberry is a refreshing fruit and a healing berry at the same time. That is why it is so popular among hobby gardeners. We explain cultivation and care on this page.
Cranberry - the name of this fruit literally catches your eye when you buy granola bars. This name refers to the large-fruited cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). The main growing area is in eastern North America, specifically in New England. The cranberry is not only used in the food industry, the fruit is also valued as a medicinal product for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
Hobby gardeners have long since taken a liking to cranberries because the fruit, with its sweet and sour taste, has many uses in the kitchen.
Portrait of Cranberry
The cranberry is an evergreen, perennial dwarf shrub. It belongs to the blueberry genus and the heather family. Its pink flowers unfold in June. In the wind, they move like a crane's head. Hence the plant name "crane berry".
The hardy dwarf shrub reaches a height of 20 centimeters. It covers the ground with many creeping shoots up to 1 meter long. Calculate 6 plants for planting one square meter of soil.
Red, sweet and sour berries develop from the flowers, which are ready for harvest from September. Similar to cranberries, you can use the delicate fruit in yoghurt or quark, as desserts or as a cake topping, in mixed drinks and in salads. But the berries can also be used as a compote, jam or fruity sauce seasoning.
How to create the best conditions for cranberries
Location:
For the cranberry, choose a sunny spot if possible. The small berry bush also thrives in light semi-shade.
Floor:
The cranberry needs moist, humus-rich soil. The plant feels most comfortable on a bog bed soil. It would be ideal if you worked fine-grain bark mulch or rhododendron soil into the garden soil before planting.
Watering and fertilizing:
- Because the plants ais flat-rooted, you should keep the location of your cranberry constantly moist. A layer of bark mulch is highly recommended, this keeps the moisture in the soil.
- Ensure a bountiful cranberry harvest by topping up the nutrient depot for your dwarf shrubs with a blueberry fertilizer in spring.
Pruning:
Only if you want to shorten overly long shoots, then reach for pruning shears after the harvest. Otherwise a pruning is not necessary
Summary:
The cranberry or cranberry is a dwarf shrub that grows to a height of 20 centimetres. Their vitamin-rich fruits are used in the baked goods industry, in domestic cuisine and in natural medicine. It prefers a sunny location with moist, humus-rich soil. The soil must be kept constantly moist. For a rich berry harvest, the nutrient requirements for the plants are covered with blueberry fertilizer.