Lingonberry: How to Grow

A lingonberry is similar to a cranberry, though slightly less tart and grows in different conditions. Typically, lingonberries are grown in northern regions of Europe (Scandinavia) and North America and prefer acidic soil, even more so than blueberries, with a pH of 4.3 to 5.5 for best productivity. The plants grow to about 30 to 40 cm (12 to 18 inches) and produce a red berry that is 0.2 to 0.4 grams in weight. A single lingonberry plant will yield between 75 and 150 grams of fruit. There are usually harvested wild as they are quite abundant, but they can be cultivated.

How sweet is a lingonberry? It is about half as sweet as a grape (10 to 14 brix) but with twice the acidity of a wine grape (15 g/L as citric acid) giving it a tart flavour. Harvesting after the first frost does increase the sweetness of the berry. Lingonberries are high in benzoic acid (1.5 g/L or 0.15%), a natural preservative that is good when making preserves, especially when combined with the high acidity and low pH (2.8 to 3.0) of the fruit. Attempts to ferment the berries will fail because the benzoic acid and low pH inhibit yeast and other fungal development.

How to grow lingonberries: This plant typically does best in acidic soil and can be grown in pure peat moss as long as they are watered regularly. Do not allow the beds to dry completely but they also do not like "wet feet". They are self-fertile but do better when other cultivars act as pollination partners. Lingonberries spread via rhizomes, so they will fill in open spots in a garden over time. You can also dig them up and split the rhizome to produce new plants. They do not need substantial nutrients, but a mixture of one part compost to twelve parts peat moss is sufficient. Lingonberries are very cold tolerant so they require no care in the winter. The plants should be pruned every 5 years to remove old growth.

There are a number of alternate names for the lingonberry, including cowberry, partridge berry, foxberry, low bush cranberry, bearberry and mountain cranberry.

Comparing the taste of cranberry to a lingonberry, they are very similar so grow which-ever one is easier in your location. And you should grow them because they are a key component in the 8 berry Octo-pie!
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