EVER since Delia recommended cranberries to her fans there has been increased interest in these small red fruits which make the most delicious jellies and cordials.
They are low-growing, evergreen hardy shrubs which need acid soil, but do well in pots or raised beds where garden soil doesn’t have a low enough pH or is not boggy enough for their survival.
Buy young plants and set them 30cm (12in) apart, in a sunny spot, to eventually merge to form a good ground cover crop.
They need little maintenance, just clipping back to ensure they stay compact and bushy.
If you don’t have many berries, apply a liquid ericaceous fertiliser in mid-spring and water the plants with rain water when you can, keeping the soil moist all the time.
Once the fruits have been picked in the autumn, before the first frosts, tidy them up by giving the plants a trim.
Since the early 21st century there has been a growing recognition of cranberries for their consumer product popularity, nutrient content and antioxidant qualities.
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