Rhubarb Growing

[Garden Manager]

This is more of a survey or sharing of ideas rather than a request for advice, but i was wondering how many of you grow rhubarb, and if so where, how many plants (roughly), how you maintain them and use them.

What made me think to ask is that i have recently renovated and relocated my rhubarb and wondered how my experiences compared to others.

I'll start with my own rhubarb growing. i think i must have started with just one or two bought crowns and gradually multiplied them by division to fill a short border between my greenhouse and a boundary fence. Here they have been quite sheltered and have often begun cropping early. We mostly use the stems in crumbles or cooked as a dessert on their own. I compost the leaves. maintenance wise, apart from regular division the most they get is a weed and mulch in spring and a tidy up of old dead leaves in autumn.

Recently I have needed to relocate my rhubarb bed in preparation for the replacement of the fence they grew alongside. the current one was put up wrong and will have to be realigned when it is rebuilt, cutting right through the rhubarb border. So i have moved them into one of my raised veg beds, in which due to its aspect I have found it difficult to grow annual crops (too shady). Here i have managed to fit in 6 crowns roughly 2 feet apart, which is a bit closer than ideal but is no different to how they were planted before! I think they will be OK. I can always thin them out later if they become too crowded.

[Garden Manager]

[calendula]

rhubarb grows itself on our plots  ;D

I have 4 varieties (sorry forgotten the names but one is I think the Sutton, huge long stalks) and I don't really do anything with it, maybe put some spare manure on it in winter and I always force at least one of them - that's about it really, but I tend to stop picking around June and I've never divided any of the crowns yet

[ACE]

To get the best out if it, the plant needs to be able to get a good frost on it. Somehow, but don't ask me how, it triggers the sugar content.

[cornykev]

Is it too late to split the crowns.  ;D ;D ;D

[kt.]

Is it too late to split the crowns.  ;D ;D ;D

I grow Timperley Early and Victoria, so we get rhubarb from April - August.  Crowns are supposed to be spit every 4 years or so.  I have not split any yet,  going to wait till end of next year (Year 5).

If you split them now,  plant in plenty of manure to keep the roots warm and top with a good thick mulch of straw.

[Hyacinth]

An Old Timer I knew used to say that you should lift the crowns at the beginning of winter & leave them on the soil for the frost to get to them before re-planting? Anyone else heard/tried this? (I haven't :D)

[ACE]

I half heard a radio programme about the commercial growers doing that. It seemed to me that they exposed most of the plant to the frost.

One grower went to a lot of trouble to find a really frost prone spot to set up business. Somewhere in Yorkshire.

[caroline7758]

I half heard a radio programme about the commercial growers doing that. It seemed to me that they exposed most of the plant to the frost.

One grower went to a lot of trouble to find a really frost prone spot to set up business. Somewhere in Yorkshire.

Aren't they all in Yorkshire (traditionally, anyway)?

[asbean]

Our rhubarb patch was already well established when we took over our plot nearly six years ago and we've done nothing to it apart from mulching with manure in the autumn and spring and keeping the weeds away.  We get loads of spears from it, most of which we give away as we are not that keen on it.  By all reports it is extremelty tasty.  :P :P :P :P :P :P

[Hyacinth]

Aren't they all in Yorkshire (traditionally, anyway)?

I remember once seeing a TV programme bout rhubarb growers in Yorkshire growing it in large dark sheds...you could hear it growing ::) Scary or wot!

[star]

I saw that too, yes its quite mad really ;) 8)

[Stevens706]

I was given a single crown when I got the plot 3 years ago, it is between 2 greenhouses. In Autumn I cover it with manure and just let it get on with it.
This Spring I added 2 extra crowns given to me but they are too close to the original which did so well that it covered the new ones.

I eat it raw as a fruit, my 7 year old daughter also likes it raw, sad isn't it.

[thifasmom]

when i moved here 5 yrs ago i inherited a large rhubarb plant which we harvested from off an on. last year i finally got round to forcing it and it produced lovely stalks, then promptly died :-\ ::) :(. So i bought a new plant from off ebay (not a crown) overwintered it in a large pot as the area i had for it wasn't quite prepared.

this year it has been planted out in its permanent spot in a raised bed for perennials it got the spot that was slightly shady. it flourished beautifully but i didn't harvest from it as this was it's first proper year in the ground. this Autumn i waited for the leaves to start dieing off, i then removed them and mulched the crown with homemade compost. i hope to harvest from it next year maybe just twice, but will leave forcing it till 2010. If then it has also really gotten big i might also split it in the autumn of 2010.

I have one question, one plant is more than enough for my family as we enjoy it as a seasonal difference, so when i split i plan to pass on the extras and just keep one piece for myself. Can you harvest from a split crown the next season or do you have to wait a year for it to reestablish itself ???

[Robert_Brenchley]

Give it time to re-establish itself, unless it comes back really strongly. It all depends on the size of the split, and when you did it. After New Year, they tend to take a fair time to re-establish themselves. You won't have any problems, GA, but keep it well fed with organic stuff.

[thifasmom]

Tah for the info RThrasher. when i split it i'll do it in the autumn.

[terrier]

Hi all, I have one old crown that crops well every year but a couple of years ago, MrsT came home with two Rhubarb plants in 5" pots (un named). It looks healthy enough but the stalks are quite thin. Is this likely to be the type of plant or will the stalks get thicker with time, they've been in the ground in quite a shady spot for two years now, I was wondering how long does it take for a crown to become 'established'. Thanx.

[Garden Manager]

Hi all, I have one old crown that crops well every year but a couple of years ago, MrsT came home with two Rhubarb plants in 5" pots (un named). It looks healthy enough but the stalks are quite thin. Is this likely to be the type of plant or will the stalks get thicker with time, they've been in the ground in quite a shady spot for two years now, I was wondering how long does it take for a crown to become 'established'. Thanx.

I guess it is about a year from the spring after planting. I base this on the fact you must not crop from the plants in the first year, so come the second spring after planting the plants should be established. The one downside of having to move all your plants at once - no rhubarb crumble for a year!!

[growmore]

An Old Timer I knew used to say that you should lift the crowns at the beginning of winter & leave them on the soil for the frost to get to them before re-planting? Anyone else heard/tried this? (I haven't :D)

Thats the way I was  taught and have always done it .Other than I don't leave it on the soil .Usually placed on concrete .Wait until you see the pink bits appearing before you replant it ..When you decide to split and lift an old crown don't use Your best stainless spade to lever it out of the ground. I have seen quite a few broken spades which had been used to lever rhubarb out, use a bar or a really solid old fork.