Lingonberries

OK, I just got an order and I'm going to give them a try. I ordered the Ida variety, and there are a few growers with them in the Willamette Valley. It says they like slightly acidic soil, and mine is 6.5
Any ideas if that will be acidic enough? Or should I sulfur them?

BBeth,

I grow Ida and don't really worry about measuring the pH here. What I do, however, is plant in a mix with 50% sand 50% peat and about 25% dirt. Each spring, I add another layer of peat, typically about 1". Plants are growing and fruiting well. Each year I get more fruit than the year before. Mine are in full sun. They tolerate dry conditions a lot better than I ever expected. Don't over water. I think you'll be very pleased.

krowten

Hi, I planted mine as a ground cover around blueberry bushes. I have a naturally acidic Northwest soil, but I did mix in a little peat along with compost at planting. Mine have fairly small berries,so maybe krowten's planting medium is more ideal. Mine are spreading by shallow runners, and really filling in around the shrubs.

Thanks for the good advice! I love the taste of these and am really looking forward to getting some berries!

I plan to get some next year. One thing I read is to add a lot of peat to the planting hole... some peats are nicely acidic.

darius,

I did see that post about peat, but have never encountered the non-acid type myself. Lingonberries that I have are definitely in acid conditions.

Berry size is typically 1/4" to slightly under 1/2 inch. They all taste good if allowed to ripen.

I just ordered Red Pearl lingonberries from Raintree nursery in WA state (where I live). I chose this variety because I'm in Zone 8 and it looked like the other two varieties they had need colder climates; this one is for zones 3-9.

I was planning to put them in an area that gets morningsun/partial shade in the afternoon, and also it tends to be a bit damp there. Now, after reading a bit about them, I think I might put them in a raised bed frame made of wood, about 10" high, and build up the soil with peat moss and other acidifying stuff.

I read that lingonberries can grow in partial shade. Anyone have any experience with this?

thanks!

I just got mine in so I don't know too much yet. Most of mine are in full sun.

How do you use Lingonberries other than in a sauce?
RED

I've found that my lingonberries do appreciate a bit of shade during the hottest part of the day, but they do hold up well in full sun. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy a ripe Ida lingonberry is to stick it in your mouth directly from the plant. They also refrigerate well and can last months in the refrigerator.

are Ida lingonberries's size significantly bigger than the other cultivars? I've never seen Ida in person, only on the internet and they look huge!

Eliz

Tricky question that. All of my lingonberries that have fruited to date have all shown a range of size of the berries on the same var and plant. So to answer your question, I need to talk about a range of sizes. For example, my Ida produce fruits that approach 1/2", but still produce fruit that are less than 1/4" as well as fruit in between those numbers. There always seems to be a range of sizes on the lingonberries, and smaller fruits do not appear to be "large" fruits that never ripened or developed. Even the small fruits ripen and taste good.

So far I've had fruit on Ida, Balsgard, Red Pearl and Dwarf lingonberries. Ida and Balsgard have the largest fruit of the 4. I could not say which was the larger of the two, they are similar in size. Dwarf does not produce a lot of fruit, but fruit size seems to be similar to the Red Pearl, between 1/4 and 1/2". For me Ida has been the most productive so far.

Hope that helps.