Bill Dugan, Editor & Publisher of Food Gardening Network

Welcome to the tart and tasty world of cranberries!

Cranberries are an all-American plant. Native to North America, these tart, bright berries have been a satisfying source of fruit for thousands of years.

You can grow your own cranberries at home, without the bog. We’ll give you all the details on the steps for successful planting and growing.

First is the guide’s Introduction, where you’ll learn some of the basics about cranberries. You’ll also get the history of this sweet and colorful wetland fruit.

Next, in the Feature Articles, you’ll get specifics about cranberry growing—from the types of cranberries to the best way to start growing to watering, fertilizing, and harvesting your plants so they stay healthy and productive from season to season.

There’s a lot to know about growing cranberries, so even if you’re a veteran, you might learn something new. We aim to gather everything there is to know about growing cranberries into this single guide!

We have several fun Plant Profiles with the more popular varieties listed, including options for gardeners around the country and those who want to grow cranberries in containers.

There are hundreds of varieties of cranberries, but you’ll find that a lot of them are reserved for commercial production. We’ve chosen cranberry plant profiles that are some of the most commonly grown. If you’d like us to include another cranberry variety that appeals to you, please let me know by commenting below.

After all, this is Food Gardening Network, and we want to include the knowledge of all our gardening readers in everything we do. Your input is just as important to us as anything we come up with on our own!

We do think you’ll love the cranberry Recipes we’ve compiled for enjoying the fruits of your labor. We’ve gone beyond cranberry sauce and muffins to give you some other fun ways to work with cranberries in the kitchen.

After that, you’ll be interested to learn how cranberries can benefit your health in Nutrition Facts about Cranberries. Cranberries have great antioxidant properties, and they’re loaded with vitamin C!

Then there are the Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Cranberries where you’ll learn how cranberries are thought to help heart health, prevent cancer, and contribute to better digestive health.

Because we want you to have everything there is to know about cranberries at your fingertips, we’ve included a Resources section that’s complementary to this guide. Learn about tools that can help you with your cranberry harvest.

As always, we’ve included a brief Glossary in case you need a deeper explanation of any key terms. Be sure to let us know if there’s something else you need explained.

I’m off to start a batch of Cranberry Chutney, and I hope you’re ready to dive in and become a master cranberry grower!