I want to put some rhubarb crowns onto my plot. I looked on the organic gardening catalogue and it offers me a choice between Champagne and Victoria. Which would be better?
Champagne is earlier and "tastes better". = Tim
Wilkinsons selling cheap rhubarb at the moment- and they sell these 2 varieties.
??? Oh why am I not in Chelmsford at the moment (where there's a Wilkinsons) so I could get a couple of crowns!!....cheap too you say....it will be 10 days or so before I can get there again!!.... :'( >:(
I agree! Champagne
mmmm...champagne....does it come with bubbles? :P
Quotemmmm...champagne....does it come with bubbles? Â :P
Yes if you ferment it properly,nice with some gooseberries and elder flowers ;D
Stephan.
HP- let me know if you want any more from Wilkos and I can drop them around,
Ross
Ross....have just tried to send you an instant message but having problems with it - just wont send for me...I'm having difficulties getting into group etc. at the moment - sometimes I can, sometimes I can't.... (Admin are aware)....
Went up to lottie today to do first lot of work in ages and met another neighbour for the first time - 2 along from me - and he dug up a crown for me - even planted it for me!!...it's just lovely...3 or 4 gorgeous pink sticks with uncurling leaves.....my first edible planting....if only I'd had my camera with me!....
Thanks so much for the offer though - really kind of you...Maggie
p.s. hope this post :-/
HP.... if you still want more there was loads in the Chelmsford store when I went in yesterday!
Cor, Essex peeps galore! There are a few of us Essex lottiers now, we should all get together some time! I hurtle through Chelmsford ever day to collect my boy from school - glam life I lead! ;D
;) Yes, E.J. we do get about....my next visit to Mum & Dad is next week......you'll probably be whizzing past me somewhere while I'm there ......
and Ross....so, you go that way too sometimes...not going on Monday are you by any chance?.....only joking...I get the train and stay over for a while...hate the M25.....can't face driving it myself ??? ::).....I'll have a look while I'm there tho and might bring a bit more back with me.....every time I go in there, I always see brilliant things for the garden/lottie at bargain prices but usually they're bulky and I can't bring them back on train!!....
thanks H.P.
no not me - don't go to Essex too often. Nearest I get is Enfield, North London where I was born and bred.
Hi to all the Essex folk!!
I was out your way yesterday EJ - had a meeting in Maldon so whizzed through on my way from Chelmsford! should have made a detour to check out your lottie (and all it's security!!) :)
:-[ ooops....sorry Ross....got mixed up.....it was Clare....thanks Clare for the offer....I visit Chelmsford every few weeks (my parents) from the Reading area....wouldn't it be great to all meet sometime.....my neice lives in Maldon and her Dad, my brother lives in Burnham-on-Crouch....so I go that way sometimes too....H.P.
HP - great idea.. we should arrange to all meet up sometime!
I could do a guided tour of my lottie, but there's not much to see at the moment!!!!
Clare....forgot to say in my I.M. a guided tour sounds a great idea.....maybe in the spring, early summer when things are happening ;)
no problem.. I'd be happy to give you a guided tour, once the veggies are growing.
was thinking about getting some rhubarb crowns for the allotment- how many sticks do you get from one crown in an average year?
I have just thrown in 2 crowns at £1.15 each! Using mine for compost more than eating, family not partial to rhubarb, and others have arthiritis, so they say to avoid it! Think the number of sticks per plant increase year by year Ross. ( not a lot of help sorry!) DP
The plants will increase in size every year for several years, but after 9 or 10 years will start to decline and will need to be split up and the woody parts discarded. If you can, it is best to split one plant up after (say) 6 or 7 years and the new plants will be producing when you have to split up the others.
Rosebud, if you force your plants under an upturned dustin (filled with straw) the tender pale pink sticks produced are virtually acid free and should not affect the arthritis. Don`t force more than half your plants each year.
I have never heard of this about buuby and arthritis. See, learn something new every day on this fab site. So, what does bubby do to you if you have arthritis? I know it makes my teeth go all sensitive if it is toooo sharp and makes my mum come out in a terrible rash! :o
EJ, found this "people with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones, or hyperacidity should be cautious about eating rhubarb, which can aggravate those conditions."
Thats why I am growing mine for my compost heap!! Dottie P.
I'd heard that ff you eat too much rhubarb (or if you eat the leaves) if causes crystals to form on bones - guess this is related to the arthritis thing.
Rhubarb contains oxalic acid, and it is this which causes the formation of crystals in arthritic joints. There are mild concentrations in the plant stems, but the major concentration is in the leaves, which are normally considered poisonous (to a degree, at least, although one would have to eat quite a lot of them).
If the rhubarb is forced quickly in warmth and darkness, the amount of oxalic acid, in both stems and leaves, is greatly reduced.
Having said which I must admit that although I have arthritic fingers and a dodgy knee, I flatly refuse to do without my rhubarb pies and crumble as long as they are made from forced rhubarb, and I`ve never noticed any ill effects after eating them.
Aha Hugh, so I shall be able to eat the ones I am forcing........yippee!! DP
really dumb question..which way up do I plant these crowns?! They have shoots out of one end, but the shoots are nearly at right angles to the way the crown is positioned ie.
__________
| _shoot___
|--| |-
| c |
| r |
| o |
| w |
| n |
--------
(I know, I know - I should be an artist!!)
does the crown go lengthways as shown above and the shoots will be flat on the ground or lay flat on the ground so that shoots are pointing up?
Ross, this is simply because the crown you have is actually a severed root which grew almost horizontally just below the soil surface. Compromise in planting and plant the root at an angle of 45 deg. or so with the shoot pointing upwards.
Doris_Pinks... where did you get your £1.15 rubarb crown from? I nearly died with shock this afternoon when i went to buy some rubarb and saw it was £7.99!!!!!!! :o
Needless to say I came out empty handed!!!
Sparky, i got it from a local garden center, if you want to PM me with your address, and how many, I can post some to you. DP
Thanks for the offer DP but found a Wilkinsons I never knew existed and bought 2 today!! Yippee