Lingonberries
(Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. majus)

About Lingonberries

Lingonberries, which we have had in various forms in Scandinavia, where they are immensely popular, are a most flavorsome berry (think of them as a superior sort of cranberry), and are an excellent, too-little-known crop for this region, being native to climates very much like ours (in fact, Washington and Oregon now lead the world in lingonberry production).

Lingonberries are known by many other names: cowberries, red whortleberries, fox berries, mountain cranberries, mountain bilberries, partridgeberries, tyttebær (Norwegian & Danish), rauðber (Icelandic), puolukka (Finnish), and lingon (in Swedish).

Lingonberries can be eaten fresh, though they are quite tart (they actually have a lot of sugar, more than blueberries, and can be preserved in just their own juice, but they also have a lot of acid); but they are especially good in various cooked forms. They used to be an important staple in the northern-tier states and in Canada, but have become less known in modern times: that is a defect that needs curing, as they are wonderful berries and fairly easy to grow. Especially famous is lingonberry jam (rårörda lingon), which can be made easily with no cooking: just stir the raw berries with a small amount of sugar.

Lingonberries typically fruit twice a year, though some varieties can have three fruitings. The first, in spring, is usually very small and essentially useless; the second is the true yield flush, though a few varieties are said to have a third, late-fall flush that is also productive.

Though lingonberries are nominally self-pollinating, it is consensus that they are much more productive when cross-pollinated; one thus wants at least two different cultivars planted. Also, the plants being small, one would be well advised to plan on quite a few for a decentg annual harvest.

Lingonberry Cultivars

With their slowly increasing popularity in the western hemisphere, a good number of named cultivars have become available to the both the commercial and the home gardener (a 2006 paper stated that 21 distinct cultivars were being grown in the Pacific Northwest, and named and described them). Ready availability for the home grower currently amounts to about a dozen and a half or so types, which it would be tedious to list (but see the list of links farther below).

After extensive examination of the literature, we believe that the best bets are Erntesegen and Erntedank, which are both quite productive of good fruit and which can pollinate each other (lingonberries are, in principle, self-pollinating, but cross-pollination by a different variety greatly helps productivity.)

Lingonberry Cultivation

Culture is highly similar to that of blueberries, so read over that material. Here are a few further notes:

1. container size: a five-gallon (12-inch) pot suffices for a mature lingonberry plant (mulch to 2 to 4 inches; peat works well). Because the plants are small, if you want lingonberries, grow quite a few plants.

2. watering: don’t over-water; better a bit dry than a bit wet.

3. fertilizer: don’t over-fertilize—use a light hand. And avoid nitrate-containing fertilizers.

4. sunlight: though most sources say the more the better, one university project found partial shade to work well; if you have short but hot summers, that seems worth trying.

Last but by no means least, if you don’t protect your lingonberries from pests, most especially birds, you simply won’t get any. Refer to the protection notes on the main “fruits” page of this site for details.

Lingonberry Culture

As with blueberries, and for much the same reasons, lingonberries are best grown in containers. They are even smaller than blueberries (except perhaps some low-bush blueberries) and can be grown in fairly small containers, from 10 to 12 inches across. As their Scandinavian popularity would suggest, lingonberries are very cold-hardy (usually listed to Zone 3, though there may be minor variations by cultivar). They are evergreens, and stay in leaf through the winter. In the right soil, they spread slowly but inexorably through underground rhizome growth, but adapt well to container growing.

Despite occasional advice to the contrary, it is not a good idea to interplant them with blueberry bushes, despite the similar soil requirements, because blueberries have extensive but shallow root systems, with which lingonberry rhizomes can get badly tangled.

Lingonberries are self-pollinating, but having multiple types around for cross-pollination will produce larger and earlier-ripening fruits (and it helps to have bumblebees around).

Lingonberries typically bloom twice, once in early spring and once in summer; but some varieties in some climates will have a further bloom in October. The first blooms are usually too early to avoid frost damage (the plants are terrifically hardy, but the blooms are only hardy to about 30° F.), but the second crop is normally plentiful, as is the third when one gets it. Plants may bear right away, but need two to three years to reach best productivity, which is typically about a pound and a half per bush.

It pays, for several reasons, to buy lingonberries as plants, even though they can be grown from seed. As always with fruits and berries, buy from a reputable specialist house, preferably one in your climate or close to it.

Besides acidity, lingonberries like a free-draining soil, preferably a peaty one or a light loamy soil with added leaf-mould, or even sawdust. They can stand a fair bit of shade, but yield best in full sun. Lingonberries are light feeders so don’t over-fertilize: one source remarks, in a note to commercial growers, that “Lingonberries are quite sensitive to over-fertilization.” Pay more attention to maintaining the soil pH good and acid. It is also advisable to mulch lingonberries, ideally with peat moss, adding more from time to time as the plants grow.

Lingonberries are often described as quite tart till dead ripe, then with excellent flavor. Harvest accordingly.

More

Relevant Links

Besides any links presented above on this page, the following ought to be especially helpful:

• Stalking the Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Lingonberry - an amusing and informative article about world lingonberry production
• The Mighty Lingonberry - good general article, with a discussion of cultivars
• Grow Your Own Lingonberries - concise and helpful advice from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)
• Account Of My Trhree Types Of Vaccinium Vitis - Idaea “Erntedank” - “Erntekrone” - “Erntesegen” - by A. Zillmer, who introduced those three great varieties to the world [only an intro—the full article is behind a paywall]
• Lingonberry: Dainty Looks, Sturdy Disposition, and Tasty Berries [PDF document] - good comprehensive article
• Lingonberry: Potential New Fruit for the Northern United States - a university paper
• Lure of the Lingonberry - growing them in Canada.
• Biology & Culture Of The Lingonberry - good, useful overview of the species.
• Cranberry Versus Lingonberry: What’s the Difference? - answers the question

(And don’t forget that we have listings of nurseries on our suppliers page.)

Odds and Ends

Biology

Often also called cowberries, partridgeberries, or mountain cranberries, lingonberries are small evergreen shrubs in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. Their native habitat is the circumboreal forests of northern Eurasia and North America, from temperate into subarctic climates.

There are two very similar regional varieties of V. vitis-idaea in Eurasia and North America:

• V. vitis-idaea var. vitis-idaea L., Eurasia; leaves 10 - 25 mm long
• V. vitis-idaea var. minus Lodd., North America; leaves 7-20 mm long

Lingonberries are related to cranberries, but are by no means the same thing; nonetheless, the many names used for each cause some confusion, and not a few people think they are identical.

History

Lingonberries were long harvested in the wild by all the peoples of northern latitudes in both the Old World and the New World, and were considered an important staple. It is only in relatively modern times that cultivation, and cultivar selection, has taken place.

Envoi

In Sweden and Norway, reindeer steak is traditionally served with gravy and lingonberry sauce. Urf.

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