More than half of the bogs are located right here on Cape Cod. A bog is technically a spongy, low-lying wetland that holds water and is full of ancient decayed vegetation. Since cranberries require constant moisture, bogs make a fertile and moist natural habitat for them to grow. Bogs are fed by water that drains from neighboring ponds and lakes. Besides providing nourishment, the water also provides protection against frost for young vines, which begin their annual cycle in early spring.
Workers gather berries using a boom.
Harvesting Harvesting begins shortly after Labor Day and continues until the end of October. When cranberry harvesting first began, growers would hand-pick the cranberries. Most growers use the wet-pick method. Invented in the 1950s in Wisconsin, this method involves flooding the bogs and then using a water reel, known to growers as an egg beater, that moves through the flooded bogs beating the water to knock the ripened berries off the vines. As the egg beater moves through the bogs it is careful not to crush the vines, preserving them for the next harvest.