How to Grow Cranberry Bushes From Seed

Remove the seeds from several cranberries by dropping them into a blender. Add enough water to cover the cranberries. Hit the pulse button several times to separate the seeds from the pulp.

Turn-off the blender and scoop-out any pulp that rose to the surface of the water with a spoon. Pour the water and cranberry seeds into a mesh strainer and give them a good rinsing to remove any pulp still attached. Place the seeds on a paper towel after rinsing.

Fill a plastic storage bag one-fourth full with damp peat moss. Press the cranberry seeds into the peat moss and seal the bag. Place the bag in a warm area that has a constant temperature between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit for three months.

Pop the bag in the refrigerator for two months. The two-month chill period or "stratification" is necessary to prepare the cranberry seed for germination.

Fill 2-inch pots with organic potting soil and then remove the chilled cranberry seeds from the refrigerator. Press one cranberry seed into the soil of each pot one-fourth of the way. Dampen the soil with water from a spray bottle. Cover the pots with plastic wrap, secured with a rubber band.

Place heating pads in bright, filtered sunlight. Set the heating pads to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pots on the heating pads.

Check the seeds several times a week for germination. Lift the plastic to check the soil for moisture. If the soil feels dry, dampen it again with the spray bottle. Replace the plastic.

Remove the plastic permanently when germination takes place. Be patient. Germination can take up to six weeks. Once you see cranberry seedlings poking up through the soil, permanently remove the plastic.

Provide warmth, sunlight and damp soil as the cranberry seedlings grow. Transfer the cranberry plants to 6-inch pots when they reach heights of 4 inches. Cranberry bushes are ready for outdoor planting when they reach a height of 12 inches.

Transplant the cranberry bushes outdoors in the early spring after the threat of frost is over. Choose a location with full sun and well-drained soil. Plant the cranberries in holes twice the diameter of their root-balls.

Spread 3 inches of mulch around each cranberry plant to protect the bushes during extreme weather. Water the cranberries deeply afterward. Keep the soil moist at a 1 inch depth throughout the growing season with a soaker hose. Cranberry bushes need 1 inch of water per week to thrive.