Last updated: April 27, 2017
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Spring is a busy time of year for the farmer. Since cranberry vines are perennial, spring work begins as soon as the snow starts melting. The first concern is protecting the vines from frost damage. That means re-installing our irrigation system.
The challenge is remembering which piece goes where. It’s kind of like a jigsaw puzzle you only do once a year. Fortunately, the farmer has lots of experience. As the pipe gets hooked up, the water starts running to flush the system. That means somebody always gets wet.
We usually get a variety of wildlife checking out the work. Yesterday, it was nesting killdeer.
The bud that contains all the information for this year’s crop set last August. That means it’s critical to protect that bud as it starts to swell and grow.
The colour of the cranberry vines is beautiful at this time of year. Cranberries grow on an evergreen vine, which means they keep their leaves year round, but the leaves turn dark red during their dormant phase. This shuts down photosynthesis. The UV light required for photosynthesis is in the red spectrum. The burgundy pigment in the leaves reflects this UV light, protecting the vines from growing during damaging cold temperatures.
We hope you’ll make it by to check out the beautiful colour of cranberry vines in spring and catch glimpses of all the returning wildlife!
