Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Learnerlady on November 21, 2020, 11:40

Title: Cranberries?
Post by: Learnerlady on November 21, 2020, 11:40
Sorry, me again.
Trying to grow to suit soil conditions and our plot gets the run off from the lane. Didnt realise this until after we had moved the shed there but fortunately its raised and the water goes underneath and dug a trench to divert it out of the way but there is now part of the ground that is quite wet so wondered about planting a couple cranberry bushes? Am I being over ambitious?
My other option is a bog garden as its close to a pond which I want to develop a bit.....so many plans
Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Cranberries?
Post by: jezza on November 25, 2020, 19:37
Hello try YouTube theres Cranberry growers on there Cranberries are usually harvested from flooded ponds   jezza
Title: Re: Cranberries?
Post by: AnneB on November 28, 2020, 16:32
Sorry, me again.
Trying to grow to suit soil conditions and our plot gets the run off from the lane. Didnt realise this until after we had moved the shed there but fortunately its raised and the water goes underneath and dug a trench to divert it out of the way but there is now part of the ground that is quite wet so wondered about planting a couple cranberry bushes? Am I being over ambitious?
My other option is a bog garden as its close to a pond which I want to develop a bit.....so many plans
Any thoughts?

They do like moisture but not a complete bog I think.   They also like an ericaceous compost in the same way that blueberries do, so it depends on how acid your soil is.   I tried them, but they do not like competition from weeds at all and I rather neglected mine and it didn't survive.  They sprawl a bit too.  I decided I couldn't provide the right conditions and didn't replace the plant.
Title: Re: Cranberries?
Post by: Learnerlady on November 28, 2020, 22:14
Hi AnnieB
Interesting, soil is acid and was thinking of growing through weed suppressant so may give them a go. The area isn't a bog at the moment, just wet due to the run off from the lane so hoping they may be ok, guess like everything, will have to give it a go







Title: Re: Cranberries?
Post by: Subversive_plot on December 09, 2020, 09:51
Decades ago, my younger brother wanted to grow pitcher plants and other North American carnivorous plants, which do grow in sphagnum moss bogs. He would occasionally get cranberries growing from the sphagnum moss that he put on top of his planters, which were made from hard plastic wading pools designed for children.

All of his cranberries were low sprawling plants, rather than bushes. They grew well, and produced the occasional berry (bear in mind that he was not really trying to grow cranberries). You could try replicating his wading pool planters, filling the planters with peat and sand, with a top layer of sphagnum moss. Make sure to put a drainage hole in the side of the plastic wading pool, maybe 3 or 4 centimeters from the top edge of the pool. I have no idea how many such pools you would need for a good crop of cranberries, nor any idea if there are select cranberry varieties available.
Title: Re: Cranberries?
Post by: Learnerlady on December 10, 2020, 17:10
Decades ago, my younger brother wanted to grow pitcher plants and other North American carnivorous plants, which do grow in sphagnum moss bogs. He would occasionally get cranberries growing from the sphagnum moss that he put on top of his planters, which were made from hard plastic wading pools designed for children.

All of his cranberries were low sprawling plants, rather than bushes. They grew well, and produced the occasional berry (bear in mind that he was not really trying to grow cranberries). You could try replicating his wading pool planters, filling the planters with peat and sand, with a top layer of sphagnum moss. Make sure to put a drainage hole in the side of the plastic wading pool, maybe 3 or 4 centimeters from the top edge of the pool. I have no idea how many such pools you would need for a good crop of cranberries, nor any idea if there are select cranberry varieties available.
Thanks Subversive, something to think about👍 ;)