Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Elfeda on January 14, 2019, 19:04:14
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I went to plot today and found rubarb is started allready. I wanted to force my rubarb this year. is it too late?
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Never too late to bung an old dustbin on top. Forcing only makes it grow a longer stem. Perhaps a bit less stringy.
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Not necessarily.
I have several rhubarb plants. Victoria, Timperly early, Poultons pride, and a couple of unknown types that were residents on a plot when I took it on. One of these seems really odd. The others simply go to sleep over winter (apart from the poultons which continues to grow through everything but the harshest cold weather).
But this one seems to wake up and declare spring has arrived after just a few mild days at anytime throughout winter. Then a cold snap knocks it back again and nothing happens for a while and then another mild spell and off it goes again seemingly ever hopeful that spring has arrived. After the recent mild weather, it is trying again now. But it is doomed and cold weather at the end of this week will set it back again. Then one day spring will truly arrive and away it goes. I think it is just unreasonably optimistic.
If anyone recognises this growth pattern I'd be interested to know the variety.
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Cast iron bath went over my Timperley early yesterday. It was already sprouting but I expect it will be ok.
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We noticed our rhubarb on Christmas morning. I think it depends how far along yours is. If its only two or three shoots from a good sized clump I would say give it a go. We use straw and an old bucket :blob7:
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Mine are big clumps and there wer fair amount of shoots on each. it might be another week before I go to plot again. but the coming cold spell might stop them growing. I read we can start covering from end of january ,so It might be the time when I go again to plot. thank you, I suspect mine too timperly early as it comes early every year. I just wonder if diff named rubarb taste different or what :)
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No sign of our rhubarb yet but when the buds appear I will cover it with a black dalek compost bin. I've found them hopeless for compost but work well for forcing rhubard as you can just lift the lid to pull some stems. Might need a bit of gaffer tape to cut out light from round the side door.
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i have no clue what varieties are in my plot here on the sunshine coast we have only had one frost so far that was yesterday rhubarb is doing well we normally harvest the first stems last week of feb so i never force it rhubarb and blood orange jam fantastic
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My goodness, these stems are ready to cut for the first small taste of spring. Ours are nowhere to be seen.
This size rhubarb in slices, stewed for just a couple of minutes with mushy cooking apples and a generous spoon of honey. Oh yum! Unfortunately my portion just gets a bit of Stevia for sweetness, but the first taste of rhubarb nevertheless is a very special treat. :icon_cheers:
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Well you learn something every day. I don't usually bother forcing mine as I have not really had good results. I remember as a nipper they used to put an old dustbin over the top to make it grow longer stems, I thought the dustbin had a rusty hole in it and the rhubarb reached for the light. Now after reading this and doing a bit of googling I found the rhubarb should be in complete darkness. So the dalek composter will be given another try this year with the lid on.
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That sounds a good idea Ace, but an empty dalek compost bin (at least hereabouts) gets blown over, so you would need to stake it too. :wave:
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As my big one went walkies one day I drilled 4 holes in the rim at the bottom, I did the same to the small one I am going to use. With the aid of some redundant screw in awning pegs they stay put.