How to Grow Lingonberry

Lingonberries provide an edible ornamental to the garden. The plants grow as 2-foot tall shrubs with glossy green leaves. The small white flowers add an attractive touch to the landscape and later in the summer season the small ruby-red berries are ready for harvest. Lingonberries are closely related to blueberries and cranberries. They have a tart flavor similar to that of a raspberry, and they work well as a fresh fruit, preserved in jams or baked into pies and other desserts.

Lime

Mulch

Fertilizer

Plant lingonberry in an area that receives full sunlight. Perform a soil test and add lime to the soil at the rate recommended on the test to achieve an acidic bed with a soil pH between 4.5 and 5.5.

Spread a 2-inch layer of mulch, such as wood chips, over the soil under the lingonberry bush. The mulch prevents weeds and helps prevent moisture loss from evaporation. Replenish the mulch layer each spring.

Water lingonberries when the top 1 inch of soil begins to feel dry. Provide enough water to moisten the top 8 to 10 inches of the soil, then allow it to dry slightly again before the next watering.

Apply a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants in the spring when new growth begins. Fertilize at the rate recommended on the fertilizer label for the size of your bush.

Harvest the lingonberries in late summer or fall once the berries are firm and fully red. In warm climates the berries may produce two harvests, one in midsummer and one in midautumn.

In hot climates lingonberries can tolerate some afternoon shade.

Lingonberries left on the bush provide food for overwintering birds.

Lingonberry bushes are low maintenance, requiring no pruning and are naturally resistant to most diseases and pests.