A Little TLC

A rhubarb plant or two is a common sight on allotments everywhere but as a plant it is much neglected (well it certainly has been on my plot anyway). Part of the problem is that pretty much whatever abuse you throw at it it'll carry on growing so its needs often get forgotten in the wake of the demands of more demanding crops. It is probably this lack of care, combined with the rotten weather, that meant that I had a less than glorious harvest last year; there was lots of rhubarb but it was a bit weedy and the stems weren't strong at all.

This year I decided to buck the trend and give my rhubarb bed a little TLC and if you want to do this now is the perfect time of year. I had a general tidy around the bed as well as giving each crown a good covering of about 3 to 4 inches of garden compost which will serve to give them a good feed but also protect the early growth from any frost in the coming months. Now is also the time to have a go at forcing rhubarb as well if that's your thing; I've never done it myself but it means that the stems are more tender, sweeter and don't need to be peeled.

All you need to have a go is a container to exclude light - anything will do like a dustbin, a big plant pot, a bucket... If you place this over the rhubarb as soon as it begins to show signs of growth the lack of light and the heating effect of the container will rapidly bring on the rhubarb and it should be ready for eating in about four weeks, a good month or so before rhubarb that is not forced. When the rhubarb is picked (or it outgrows the covering) remove the covering and leave the rhubarb to recover for next year.

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[Steed Farm Blog]

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