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Oct 3, 2008 1:20 pm US/Eastern
Cranberry Harvest Expected To Be Biggest In Years
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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A cranberry bog in Wareham.
WBZ
Cranberry growers are in the middle of their fall harvest and they're expecting it to a memorable one.
Matt Beaton, the owner of Sure-Cran Services, Inc, predicts an excellent harvest.
"This season could go down as the best in the last 10-to-15 years," he told WBZ.
"Last year was the second driest growing season on record," Beaton said, which made the harvest poor. This year, good weather including timely rain this summer, is helping to turn the harvest around.
A good harvest means bigger cranberries, and because growers sell by weight, it means more profits for them.
Cranberries need special circumstances to grow, including acid peat soil, fresh water, and a growing season from April to November.
The cranberry is one of North America's three native fruits that are commercially grown. The other two are blueberries and Concord grapes.
There are more than 14,000 acres of cranberries bogs in Massachusetts. 400 of the national 1,000 cranberry growers are in the Commonwealth.
The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association has created a Cranberry Harvest Trail for people to see the bogs in person. In addition, the 5th Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration is on Saturday, Oct 11th and Sunday Oct 12th in Wareham.
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