Rocky Pond Cranberry Bog

To your right and in the hollow is the first section of cranberry bog. It is encircled by a perimeter ditch, which conveys floodwater on and off the bog. Lateral ditches, which help to move the water, transect the section and there is a dike around the bog to contain winter floodwater. A brush area to the right of the bog contains wild blueberries and huckleberries for wildlife.

Please do not walk on the bog. Your footsteps will damage tender shoots and buds in the springtime, they may bruise developing fruit during the summer and early fall, and walking against the vine can damage the plants. The vines are trained to grow in a particular direction, usually crosswise so that the picking machines can comb through the vines without tearing them up. That sometimes gives the carpet a napped look like corduroy, with half of the vines on a section growing in one direction, half growing in the other direction, defined by a “centerline” running down the middle. Look for this after harvest when it is most noticeable.