Ben Lear ripens early season. Harvest berries by hand when red, from late September to late October. Berries cannot stand a frost below 30°F so it is best to pick them before a hard frost or protect them with covers. One 5ft X 5ft bed may yield up to 5 lbs of fruit in the third and forth year of production. High Bush Cranberry ‘Ben Lear’s burgundy-red color, early fruiting period and the large size is prized for processing into sauces. ‘Ben Lear’ is very productive. It is a wild clone from Wisconsin. The American Cranberry is one of the native fruit plants in the United States. The fruits of the plant have been consumed for many years by Americans due to its unique flavor and high vitamin content. Cranberries are one of the healthiest sources for getting your vitamin C and protecting your body against urinary tract infections. More studies are showing other beneficial effects because of their high antioxidant content. Each cup of these little red and tart berries are easy to grow, becoming popular as a health food choice, and render a unique addition to the home garden. The cranberry is a groundcover plant with two types of growth habits; runners (rhizomes) trail and spread the plant as long as two feet in one season. Uprights are born on the runners and bear the flowers and fruit. The goal is to get the numerous runners to spread quickly in the first two years to cover the ground, and then to produce strong uprights (up to 200 per sq. foot) to produce flowers and fruit. The plant has a fine root system that only grows in the upper 4 to 6 inches of the soil. Shipped dormant in the winter.