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Rhubarb rescue plan
a1154
Posts: 1,108
in Fruit & veg
Hi, i planted 3 tiny rhubarbs in raised bed, about 10 ft long. Brilliant last year, v thick stems and nice pinky colour.
This year (2nd summer) they are HUGE, really overcrowded and desperately trying to flower. Stems are very thin and just green, no pinky.
Should i pull half of each plant out, hoping the rest improves, or remove the middle plant hoping the others improve? or forget it for this year and move them all at the end of the season?
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I just cut mine when im gonna use it , as it produces more fruit ,I normally get about 5-6 crops a year... mine you ive had mine around 8 years now it was small when I got it and around 4 years ago it got flowers so I was advised to remove flower cause it was that strong it produced them and if I left flowers on I wouldn't get any fruit.... since then its spread and there is 3 plants growing healthy ... so id leave it just watch out for snails they eat the leaves , water well and let nature get on with it small shots take off
Cut out the main stem, don't let it flower then pull the rest and freeze it.
Yes - definitely remove any flowering shoots as soon as you see them. Pull leaf stalks starting in Feb/March of year 2 until about now. If they have a lot of leaves now it's probably still OK to pull some of them - choose the firmest as some will now be going spongy. Chop it into 1" bits and yes, freeze it. It's better roasted than stewed, preferably with marmalade and ginger
If they're thin it means they haven't had enough food - they're very hungry (but that needn't stop you eating them!). I have mine next to the compost heap so they get its run-off. Thirsty too: someone (it might have been Geoffrey Smith) used to say that you should water rhubarb even when it's raining!
Three plants in a 10-foot bed aren't overcrowded - that's about right. They do overlap a lot at this time of year. If they're very strong you could try forcing one next winter to get the earliest crops.
In two or three more years when they do get really congested it may be worth digging them up, hacking them into several bits (they're pretty indestructible), chuck away the old bit in the middle and replant some of the outside bits. And give away the spares to friends.
One more thought: how deep is the bed? They do have very deep roots.
my rhubarb plant will not turn red/pink. nice thick stems with huge leaves but the base of the stem is slightly pink but mainly green. How can I get them to turn red/pink?
Cook it with strawberries or raspberries?
It may be a variety thing. See this site http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/content/rhubarb-varieties#TOC7 amongst others
Hmm i think thin stems is overcrowding, beds are only 8" but on top of soil, so roots can go deeper.
I am removing flowers.
Getting feeds and water. Nothing like as good as last year (when actually they didnt get any feeding or watering!)
thank you Steve I don't know what the variety is so will assume Victoria and continue to enjoy the pies!
hi steve I didn't know you could roast it, I always steam mine .. how do you do it and how long to cook
Oooh yes - it's yummier roasted.
Hack it into bits (they can be longer than if you stew it) and shove it in a roasting dish (ceramic rather than metal, I suspect) and add your sweetener of choice. I tried it with marmalade and a sprinkling of powdered ginger the other day and it was v. yummy.
Temperature? Time? Good q. I stick it in with whatever else I have in the oven and take it out when it's done. 20 minutes maybe? 180degC maybe? Not critical. The big advantage is that it doesn't fall to bits like it does if it's stewed. Have fun!
I'm off sailing!