I have some rhubarb crowns that I've just dug up as they are about to be buried by building work that has unexpectedly extended into my garden fruit bed :(. I haven't quite got the lottie yet - how can I store the rhubarb crowns and raspberry canes for a couple of weeks till I can get them in the new lottie?
Hi,
this is not an officially approved advise, but I stored rhubarb crowns by digging them in partially. First wrap newspaper around the roots so they won't settle, then lower them in a hole until only the leaves or the growing point are above ground. Fill up the hole. This way the plants are kept moist.
Raspberry canes are quite hardy. This spring I gave some young canes to a friend of mine. She didn't have the time to plant them immediately at the right spot. She bundled the canes up, wrapped them in newspaper, and dug them in. A week later they were planted and they did well this summer.
Good luck.
Shove them in any bit of soil you've got available, it doesn't matter how close together they are, and leave them there till you can plant them out properly.
both are great options...can even be stored in a bucket, rather than in the ground - all ready to move to the lottie 8). Tough as old boots. I've an old friend who still lifts her rhubarb roots & leaves them uncovered on top of the plot for the frost to get at the them. I don't bother to do this, but we both have equally good crops. I'm sure you'll have no worries whatever you choose to do. :)
Put them in a bucket with a little compost, water a bit, then put the whole lot in a black bin liner in the garage or shed. You'll then have a little tender rhubard in very early spring...use it then plant the crowns out.
great, thanks
Erm... I'd love to store mine but first... how do I get them out of the ground? ;)
Depends on the size. When I moved mine a couple of years back, I trenched round them, then levered them up with a metal fork which is strong enough to double as a crowbar. When I finally shifted the things, they were so massive I could just barely get them out of the holes. And now i need to move them again!
But yours may well be smaller.