On what type of plant do cranberries grow, and how are they harvested?

Question

Do they grow on a bush or on a ground level type of plant? And what does the water have to with it? Whenever I see one of those funny Oceanspray commercials with the 2 guys in the water full of cranberries, I wonder how they are grown.

Answer 1

Cranberries grow on a very low, creeping "shrub". It's about 12 inches long, but only gets about 4 inches tall. It grows in a wet environment (bog), but above water level. When the cranberries are ripe, the bogs are flooded and the berries float. People harvest them with something that looks like a small rake (historically, by hand) - the berries get caught in the tines and they are pulled off the stems or by machine (modern).
See links:

http://www.uga.edu/fruit/cranberi.html
http://www.cranberries.org/cranberries/growing.html

Answer 2

They grow on a bush. When they are ripe the fields are flooded and the cranberries float. It makes them easier to harvest.

Answer 3

Cranberries grown in a very wet environment known as a bog.

Answer 4

That is how they are grown:

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs that grow in bogs (water.)

Answer 5

They flood the cranberry bog when it's time to harvest them. They float, so that makes it easier to harvest!