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Rhubarb from Scratch
Aled Daniels
Posts: 14
in Fruit & veg
Can anyone please advise on my new Rhubarb plant?
I'm hearing all kinds of differing advice and I'd like to maximise my yield.
0
Posts
As with everything, get your soil right first, dig in plenty of well rotted muck, plant, water well, never let the soil dry out, dont pick any for the first year ans not too much in the second year.
Rhubarb should be planted with lots of organic matter and not allowed to dry out. However, take care not to let the soil get wet and boggy.
Don't harvest any stems in the first year after planting and only take a few in the following year. Always stop harvesting after mid to late June, to allow the crown to build up for the following year.
I give mine a feed of Fish, Blood & Bone in spring, again in mid summer when I stop picking, and again in late autumn when I also mulch around the crown with well rotted farmyard manure.
When all the leaves have died right down in the late autumn remove them so they don't encourage rot in the crown.
I hope that helps
Was there anything specific that was puzzling you?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you for the advise
Nothing in particular to be honest, I just remember my grandfather having the best Rhubarb and I couldn't remember the advice he gave me ( I was a teenager and like all teenagers they know everything)
Now I've got older,bits of information pop in my head but I've got gaps.
Appreciate the sharing of knowledge, thank you.
I meant to say, if it ever sends up a flower spike, remove it straight away at the base. Producing a flower and seeds will weaken the crown for the following season.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Would you advise covering the crown for protection over Winter?
If so what?
They don't need protection in the winter - they come from Siberia and are tougher than you and me!!! Some people cover with straw but I find that encourages slugs etc. and there's no need anyway.
However, when the plant is well established, around Christmas time I put a forcing pot over the top which encourages it to crop a little bit earlier, an old chimney pot or large bucket will do the same job. However you have to remember that if you do that you are stressing the plant and it needs a bit more tlc and you have to stop harvesting earlier than you would otherwise do.
This year I picked my first stems in February - however, I stopped picking in early May.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Brilliant, thank you
Re the forcing, I tried it for the first time a couple of years ago. The variety was Timperely Early, which is supposed to be good for forcing. It tasted bland to me, in contrast to previous years. Also this year, despite feeding, it's been thin and spindly and not worth cultivating. I've taken it up and split it so fingers crossed it comes back.
What varieties would people recommend - not bothered about forcing it?