The lingonberry is the small, wild sister of the blueberry and a real treasure for the acidic bed. Its small, bright red berries are more tart than the blueberry's, but spicier and more aromatic, and as a classic accompaniment to game and cheese the lingonberry is hard to imagine the kitchen without. In the garden it is an easy-care, evergreen groundcover that brings a double benefit: ornament and harvest.
The catch is the same as with the blueberry: the lingonberry needs acidic soil and tolerates no lime. Whoever offers it this site is rewarded with a dense, evergreen carpet and two harvests a year. This article shows you how to plant and care for the lingonberry correctly.
An evergreen carpet for the acidic bed
The lingonberry grows as a low, creeping dwarf shrub that over time forms a dense, evergreen carpet. Its small, leathery, glossy dark-green leaves stay on the plant all year, so the lingonberry looks attractive in winter too. It is thus not only a useful but also an ornamental plant and suits excellently for underplanting blueberries, rhododendrons and other bog-bed plants.
In spring it bears dainty, white-pink, bell-shaped flowers that recall lily of the valley and attract insects. From them the small, round, red berries develop. In a near-natural garden the lingonberry is a wonderful groundcover for part-shaded, acidic corners where other plants struggle to thrive.
Acidic it must be
The most important point with the lingonberry is, as with all heath-family plants, the acidic soil. It needs an acidic, humus-rich, evenly moist substrate and tolerates no lime. On normal, chalky garden soil it gets yellow leaves, the so-called chlorosis, and sulks along.
The solution is the same as with the blueberry: plant it in acidic bog-bed or rhododendron soil, either in a specially prepared bed or in a container where you have full control over the substrate. Water with lime-free rainwater, because hard tap water raises the pH over time. How to create and maintain the right acidic site permanently is covered in detail in Blueberries, acidic soil and container.
In a container the lingonberry is especially easy to cultivate, because there you provide the acidic substrate easily and keep the pH under control. How that works with berries in pots in general is shown by Berries in pots and on the balcony.
Two harvests a year
A special feature of the lingonberry is its double harvest. The plant flowers and fruits twice per season. The first, usually smaller harvest ripens in high summer, the second, often richer one in autumn. So you can pick a handful of berries again and again over a long period.
Wait for ripeness
Harvest the berries when they are fully coloured and deep red. Unripe, light-red berries are still very hard and sour. Fully ripe they become a little softer and milder.
Pick carefully
The small berries sit on dainty stalks. Pluck them gently or use a berry comb, as the pickers of wild berries also use.
Use both harvests
Process the summer harvest fresh and wait for the autumn harvest for the store. That way you spread the enjoyment over the season.
Tart, so usually processed
Raw, lingonberries are very tart. Their strength lies in processing into compote, jelly, jam and the classic accompaniment to game, cheese and desserts.
An evergreen carpet that bears red, spicy berries twice a year. Whoever offers it the acidic soil that the blueberry loves too has an easy-care double benefit of ornament and harvest.
The core idea for the lingonberry
Frequently asked questions
What soil does the lingonberry need?
Acidic, humus-rich, evenly moist soil, just like the blueberry. It tolerates no lime and gets yellow leaves on it. Best plant it in bog-bed or rhododendron soil and water with lime-free rainwater.
Why does the lingonberry bear twice a year?
That is a natural feature of the species. It flowers and fruits twice per season, with a smaller harvest in high summer and an often richer one in autumn, about weeks 32 to 40. So you nibble over a long period.
Can you eat lingonberries raw?
Raw they are edible but very tart and sour. Therefore they are usually processed, classically into compote, jelly and jam and as an accompaniment to game and cheese. Fully ripe and after the first frost they become a little milder.
Is the lingonberry suitable for a container?
Very well. In a pot you provide the acidic substrate easily and keep the pH under control. As a low, evergreen groundcover it also looks good in a container, alone or as an underplanting for a container blueberry.
Is the lingonberry hardy?
Yes, very. As an evergreen dwarf shrub from northern and alpine regions it is extremely hardy and keeps its foliage all year. It needs no winter protection and is otherwise decidedly easy-care and long-lived.
