PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Cranberry (Pilgrim)
Vaccinium macrocarpon
A low, creeping evergreen with pink spring flowers and glossy red berries in autumn. Needs acid soil — easiest in a wide pot or a small bog bed.
At a glance: harvest in October.
When to plant and care for it
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Cranberry (Pilgrim): what it needs
- Light
- Full sun · 6+ hours a day
- Watering
- Keep moist with rainwater — tap water is often too limey
- Soil
- Acid (ericaceous) compost or soil, pH 4.5–5.5
- Spacing
- 30 cm
- Height
- 15 cm
- In pots
- Grows well in containers
- Feeding
- Ericaceous feed in spring
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 2–7
Step by step
- On planting day
Plant
Plant 30 cm apart in weed-free, well-prepared soil enriched with compost, and water in well.
- 0–3 days after “Plant”
Water In
Water in with rainwater and keep the compost wet.
- 7–21 days after “Water In”
Mulch
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plants to keep moisture in and weeds down.
Every year
- AprilSpring Feed
Give a little ericaceous feed as new growth starts.
- AprilTrim Runners
Trim long, wiry runners back to keep the mat dense.
- JulyKeep Wet in Summer
Never let the compost dry out; water with rainwater.
- OctoberPick Cranberries
Pick when deep red; they keep for weeks in the fridge and freeze well.
Starts from year 2.
More fruit to grow
Photo: Photo by Keith Weller / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
