Cranberry Bog
It’s the farmland, soil or terrain that Cranberries grow in.
Cranberry Bogs
What’s a bog?
A bog is an area of land that is marshy and moist. It is an odd type of environment that can also be called a wetland. It is acidic and spongy (peat) and kinda feels like a soft mat when you step on it. They were formed from glacial deposits over 10,000 years ago.
Cranberry plants need that type of environment to grow in. A cranberry farmer will have a bog that has layers to it; sand, peat, gravel and clay.
It’s a harsh environment to thrive in but cranberry vines are hardy and built to grow under those conditions. Some plants on older farms are over 100 years old and still going, yielding fruit year after year in the fall.
Almost all of the cranberry bogs used for farming these days are man-made. They are built over natural wetlands which is similar to the natural bog environment. These man made bogs need lots of fresh water and sand.
The bogs are flooded when it comes to harvest time because it makes it easier to collect them. *My personal belief is that the farmers do it as an excuse to wear those tall, waterproof boots that they love so much.*
Wet Harvesting Cranberries in Water
If you’re interested, many cranberry farms offer tours of their bogs so check your area or places you plan to visit. It’s an exciting experience.
Trivia: “How many cranberry vines grow on one acre of bog or farmland?”
– Cranby
