How to grow Rhubarb
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How to grow Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a hardy perennial and is normally grown from ‘sets’. These should be planted in a fairly rich soil that is well drained and planted deep enough to cover the buds on the sets with about an inch of soil. If the soil is very wet it is an idea to leave the bud slightly exposed. Rhubarb can be grown from seed but the results can be a bit hit and miss, sets are much easier and readily available from garden centres. Give it plenty of space as it can get up to two feet high and six feet across when mature.
Rhubarb like a lot of nitrogen so a regular feed of manure or nitrogen rich compost is a good idea for a good crop. To force rhubarb and give you very tender rhubarb sticks keep it in the dark it’s crown covered with straw in the late winter. A forcing cover or an old tall bucket placed upside down on the top will suffice to force the tender young stems. These forced stems are ready for harvest about three weeks earlier than stems left to grow in the light. Harvest stems by grasping the stem at the base and pulling and twisting away from the plant rather than cutting. By pulling the stem it shocks the roots in to thinking it needs to grow more stems. if you just cut the stem then the roots will be unaware that it has lost a stem and the bit left on the plant will just rot
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