hi ya all, i have loads of rhubarb which are huge when can i start to harvest them???
some are very large sticks of it, will these be any good? some are the reddy sort of colour rhubarb should be some are still green,i have not forced this rhubarb to come up early it is all rhubarb i have dicovered whilst sorting my plot, there is stacks of it... mpg
Yes of course - get in there MPG!
Probably best to use the largest first and then give the oncoming bits time to fill out! I have been picking my outside ruabarb for 3 weeks now!!
Enjoy!
Old Bird
;D
thankyou so much, not remembering from when i was a kid was unsure of when would be ok, shop bought always seems very red/pink. will get cutting it when.
Hi MPG
Don't cut your rhubarb. Your plant will end up with "open wounds" at ground level that will attract all kinds of nasties.
Gently pull the stalk you want to harvest out. That way you won't damage the plant.
Made this year's first rhubarb crumble yesterday. Delish!
As you can all prob tell i have no idea what i am doing ha ha, thankyou for the advice, i will not go down and cut it now i no not to i will do as you say and gently pull it. i will try and get some pics of all this rhubarb honestly i have never seen so much, im sure many on here have tho. great all these thing that are popping up tho. mpg
I'll probably be pulling some of mine this weekend.
Quote from: MPG on April 22, 2008, 17:56:38
As you can all prob tell i have no idea what i am doing ha ha, thankyou for the advice, i will not go down and cut it now i no not to i will do as you say and gently pull it. i will try and get some pics of all this rhubarb honestly i have never seen so much, im sure many on here have tho. great all these thing that are popping up tho. mpg
Take a firm hold as far down the base as you can, and pick random stalks to allow light and water in ;)
You will find that 6 sticks make a decent size crumble for 2 people for 1 evening but there is plenty you can do with rhubarb :D I pulled mine friday and hadmy first crumble yum. If you see any stalks that have bulbus tops that look like small cauli pull these and compost as there seed heads.
Above all remember rhubarb is fairly indistructable so whatever you do enjoy 8)
Quote from: cambourne7 on April 22, 2008, 18:52:19
Above all remember rhubarb is fairly indistructable so whatever you do enjoy 8)
And also remember, mixed with ginger it makes lovely jam. I've been pulling mine for a few weeks.
huh and i had to buy some today cos mine aint big enough to eat yet :(
Quote from: debster on April 22, 2008, 20:42:49
huh and i had to buy some today cos mine aint big enough to eat yet :(
What really upsets me, the chap at the back of me has a gigantic clump, looks like a Gunnera and he just lets it rot. Says none of his family like it. I'd rather give it away or dig it up and give it to someone who'd appreciate it rather than waste it.
It was reduced to £2 for 400g today... from £3... in a well known supermarket
;D
yep it sure is ;D
I believe that the leaves can be chopped off when you pull the rhubarb and put in a barrel of water to steep. They can then be used as fertiliser. Can someone please confirm?
Quote from: Plot69 on April 22, 2008, 20:53:00
Quote from: debster on April 22, 2008, 20:42:49
huh and i had to buy some today cos mine aint big enough to eat yet :(
What really upsets me, the chap at the back of me has a gigantic clump, looks like a Gunnera and he just lets it rot. Says none of his family like it. I'd rather give it away or dig it up and give it to someone who'd appreciate it rather than waste it.
It never fails to amaze me how often people let beautiful vegetables go to waste because they will not pick them to use for themselves or give away.
I am now, in my old age, getting very cheeky. I ask. Not always for myself, there are a lot of elderly neighbours whom I know can not garden like they used to who enjoy fresh vegetables and fruit.
Only once did I ever get a refusal. After deep thought, the grower (a single chap who lived alone) said about his twenty cabbages in a neat bed, 'I don't like to disturb them, they look so good as they are'. However he went on to give me a generous armful of rhubarb which I managed to distribute to several grateful people. So not a complete failure.
There are some who are cheekier than me though. I do not eat much beetroot but there is a gentleman aged 93 now who makes all his own jams and pickles still. He gets my surplus beets as well as my extra plums greengages and various other bits. He asked me the other day if I had planted his beetroot yet!
Rhubarb tends to be used as an insecticide rather than a fertiliser, though the leaves can be added to a compost heap, and if they're left to ferment in a tub of water, they'll doubtless produce liquid fertiliser the same as anything else.
if the rain holds off this am i am going down to take some pics,and pull some rhubarb. The old gent who used to do my 2nd half plot yrs bk had to give it up because of bad health always comes out in garden gate to chat at the fence, he a bit forgetfull tho,he has said he likes rhubarb so i will make sure i will give him some also,i can't stand seeing things going to waste but some people can be so selfish, but then on the other hand if you have one of those dreaded people on the plot that is ALWAYS asking to borrow this or have that or worse you see it on their plot without ur knowing it was going, you can start to understand why some peop can be a bit funny, i on other hand if i have something or too much i will offer it or give if someone asks. mpg
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 23, 2008, 07:55:54
Rhubarb tends to be used as an insecticide rather than a fertiliser, though the leaves can be added to a compost heap, and if they're left to ferment in a tub of water, they'll doubtless produce liquid fertiliser the same as anything else.
We had a discussion about this last week. I ferment the leaves in a bin full of water and spray my brassicas with it. Apparently it's illegal to make your own insecticide though so I use it as a foliar feed instead.
It's been illegal for many years, I think because of the number of people who were being poisoned by nicotine concoctions. But who's going to police it?
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh277/witchmedium/IMGP0083.jpg)
some pics of my rhubarb ;D
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh277/witchmedium/IMGP0082.jpg)
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh277/witchmedium/IMGP0081.jpg)
Looks great MPG.
Looks in the second picture as if you have a flower head happening - but not sure - no doubt someone else may confirm it!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Old Bird
;D
yes there was a gent down on lotty this am had to ask what it was he said was a flower head coming, but ok to pick until the flower comes out, i asked cause it looked like some jurassic plant thing to me ha ha.
picked some rhubarb went to shop and saw how much they selling it for almost 3lb a pound i got 5lb in weight this am lol.
That's definitely a flowerhead; I've picked two off mine already.
should i pick it off then??? anyone got any idea as to the variety of rhubarb i may have if there are different kind?. just had our crumble best i have tasted in a long time ;D
There are about half a dozen varieties that I know of...
;D
I would say its Victoria .
ha ha well we survived the night after the first allotment pudding. mpg