When, where, and how to plant cranberries to suit their unique preferences

Cranberry plants growing and producing red fruit.

Cranberries are small evergreen shrubs that can produce a bumper harvest of berries packed full of nutrients and antioxidants. There are some unique challenges to growing cranberries that need to be understood, starting with planting them in conditions which suit them.

While cranberries can tolerate most soils, they love moisture and a low soil pH. Their specific preferences often result in gardeners growing cranberries in raised beds or pots, rather than planting cranberries in the ground.