Growing highbush cranberry
berry / bush fruit
WINTER CHILL NEEDED
~800–1400 hrs
POLLINATION
Partly self-fertile — crops much better with a partner
Pollination
Crops better with a second plant of the same species.
Growing it
Zones 2-7. A viburnum, not a true cranberry. Tart red fruit after frost for jelly; make sure you have the edible American species, not the near-tasteless European one.
Will you get enough chill?
Highbush Cranberry needs roughly 800–1400 hours between 32 and 45 °F over winter to break dormancy evenly. Check your area with the chill hours calculator. Low-chill breeding has pushed many varieties well below the figure here, so read the plant tag.
Chill and pollination are given at the fruit-type level; specific cultivars can differ. Values are typical ranges for home-garden planning.