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Fruit of the month

Rhubarb

Fruit of the Month

 

Varieties

Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but plants are variable. Instead buy named varieties from a reputable source.

• 'Timperley Early' is perhaps the most popular variety and the one most often offered by garden centres. Early and good for forcing. Harvest March to July.

• 'Victoria' is sometimes offered as seed. Late spring harvest.
• ‘Early Champagne’ produces long stalks and is often used in winemaking.

• 'Glaskin's Perpetual': long sticks great for pies, jams and winemaking. Also available as seeds.

• ‘Strawberry’ rhubarb is a late variety recommended for harvesting until September. Good flavour and heavy yields.

• Find out more varieties inside this issue of Kitchen Garden

OK, so strictly speaking it’s not a fruit, but we all eat it as a dessert, so case closed!
Rhubarb is one of those ‘quiet’ crops that once planted just goes on growing year after year and if left to its own devices would still produce a reasonable crop. However, much better results will be had if the plants are given just a little regular care and attention.

Rhubarb can be planted during the dormant season from now until the end of February and fruit specialists and garden centres are likely to have plants available.
Although not fussy, this is a crop which grows best in a moist, but free draining, fertile soil and since it is likely to be in place for some time, it is worth paying some attention to improving conditions prior to planting. This involves digging in plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost and on heavy soils some sharp grit to aid drainage. However, if soil is very wet it can pay to plant on a ridge to prevent water from sitting around the crown.
The pH of the soil should ideally be around 5-6, but as long as it is not very alkaline, there should be no problems.
Although many crowns are rarely if ever lifted, for best results they should be lifted from the ground and divided every three to four years to keep them vigorous. This is done when the plants are dormant and the leaves have died back – in fact they can be lifted now if you wish.
Divide the hefty crowns with a spade, keeping the young parts around the edge of the clump and throwing away the old central part. Each piece should have some healthy roots and a good bud – replant straight away.

Mulch established plants now with lots of well rotted manure or garden compost to help feed roots and improve the soil, also to suppress weeds.
In early spring as the shoots begin to emerge, feed with a general fertiliser such as Growmore or pelleted chicken manure. Harvest once the shoots are large enough, but do not take too many stems and stop harvesting early varieties by the end of July to allow them to rest.

Forcing

Early crops can be obtained by depriving plants of light from late winter using a rhubarb forcer or upturned bucket. However, the earliest harvest comes from crowns which have been lifted from the soil in late autumn and left on the surface to give them the necessary chilling to break their dormancy. They can then be potted into a pot just large enough to take the rootball, covered to exclude light and moved into a frost-free place such as under the greenhouse bench. The extra heat will encourage rapid growth and early sticks before those from crowns left in situ, covered. However crowns forced in this way are best discarded afterwards. Choose an early variety for forcing.

For more advice, see this month's issue, available to buy online!