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Ben Lear Cranberry is a well-known early cranberry variety valued for its larger fruit, deep red color, and strong production. It is a good choice for growers who want a low-growing fruiting plant that also works as an attractive groundcover. This variety is commonly grown for fresh use, sauce, baking, preserves, and other homemade cranberry recipes.
Ben Lear has a trailing, spreading growth habit and forms a dense evergreen mat over time. Like other cranberries, it stays low to the ground rather than growing as a tall shrub. Mature plants usually reach around 6 to 8 inches tall, with vines spreading 2 to 4 feet or more as they establish. Its compact, mat-forming growth makes it useful for beds, borders, and acidic garden spaces.
This variety is known for early ripening fruit, often producing medium to large berries with rich red color. Fruit is typically ready from early to mid fall, depending on climate and growing conditions. Ben Lear Cranberry grows best in full sun and strongly prefers acidic, moist, well-drained soil. It performs well in consistently damp soil but should not sit in stagnant water. Mulching with pine needles or other acidic organic material can help support healthy growth.
Ben Lear is generally grown as a self-fertile plant, but planting multiple cranberry plants together can help create better coverage and improve overall berry production. It is a cold-hardy variety and works well in cooler growing regions where cranberries perform best.
- Early-ripening cranberry variety
- Produces deep red berries
- Fruit is medium to large in size
- Low-growing trailing evergreen vine
- Mature height of about 6 to 8 inches
- Spreads about 2 to 4 feet or more over time
- Best grown in full sun
- Prefers acidic, moist, well-drained soil
- Good for sauce, baking, preserves, and fresh use
- USDA Zones 2 to 7
- Cold hardy and well suited for cooler regions
- Useful as both a fruiting plant and evergreen groundcover
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