Rhubarb!

Emuchops

Slightly off topic but when do you stop harvesting? I thought that I would stop mid June, but it looking really magnificent now and it seems a waste to let it go to waste, so Im thinking of having one last harvest...I'm guessing that will still give it plenty of time to build up strength for winter. ( If it makes any difefrence, mine is grown in a huge pot).

[Deleted User]

Your rhubarb will be fine, It just needs to go in the ground and be surrounded by compost or some sort of mulch. Don`t put it too deep and make sure the crown is slightly above ground. Blood fish and bone will help, put some down and rake in before planting.

Surbybird

cootambear wrote: »

you must put it in the ground and cover it with soil and throw a lot of horse muck or failing that shop bought fertiliser on it

Okay - I shall try to do that at the weekend then.

K

Surbybird

kittie wrote: »

Your rhubarb will be fine, It just needs to go in the ground and be surrounded by compost or some sort of mulch. Don`t put it too deep and make sure the crown is slightly above ground. Blood fish and bone will help, put some down and rake in before planting.

Thanks. I've never grown rhubarb before so it's all a bit new to me!

K

tim_n

I would dig in as much horsemuck as you can and stick it into the ground. Rhubarb is one of the hardest things to kill in those sort of conditions. It's the sole healthy survivor from my allotment.

Watch out for http://www.waark.com/2011/07/17/toxic-horse-manure-its-back/ - best thing to do is get a big pile of the horse poo in a container and grow some beans in it first before applying to your garden. Aminopyralid pesticide is not something you want in your garden or water sources!

Surbybird

tim_n wrote: »

I would dig in as much horsemuck as you can and stick it into the ground. Rhubarb is one of the hardest things to kill in those sort of conditions. It's the sole healthy survivor from my allotment.

Watch out for http://www.waark.com/2011/07/17/toxic-horse-manure-its-back/ - best thing to do is get a big pile of the horse poo in a container and grow some beans in it first before applying to your garden. Aminopyralid pesticide is not something you want in your garden or water sources!

Okay, I am planning on getting some manure from my neighbour with the horse but I guess that I shouldn't use it immediately based on what you've said above.

This gardening lark is harder than it looks!

K

kazschow

I wonder... I have a big healthy looking rhubarb plant here, however the stalks are still green, I've not harvested any of it as I thought it should be red, is this true? is it normal for it to be so late in turning? Each of the stalks are almost 2 feet long btw! Do you get autumn cropping rhubarb?

tim_n

kazschow wrote: »

I wonder... I have a big healthy looking rhubarb plant here, however the stalks are still green, I've not harvested any of it as I thought it should be red, is this true? is it normal for it to be so late in turning? Each of the stalks are almost 2 feet long btw! Do you get autumn cropping rhubarb?

Are you sure it's rhubarb (ie did you buy it from a shop with a label marked 'rhubarb' (ie not Gunnera which looks similar, green stems, quite fashionable therefore quite easy to find)

Regardless it doesn't matter if the stalk is green as apparently there are green stem varieties. If you cook it and it doesn't taste/smell like rhubarb, it's probably not. If you have a green variety, it's very unlikely to turn red - rhubarb actually grows red from the start, it's a veg really not a fruit so it doesn't mature in that way.

I harvest all year round always leaving a few leaves. Every couple of years I stick a spade right through the middle of it, dig it up and split it. I then dig in some more horse manure (it loves it). I have some of the largest vigorous rhubarb I've seen.

kazschow

Right am going to harvest some tonight It's defo rhubarb, I have gunnera near my pond/ burn . I never new you got a green variety Who'd a thought it me fashionable hehehee

Surbybird

By way of update, I took the advice offered and yesterday looked at my rhubarb crown and it has new growth.:j

Therefore, I think it's going to be okay.

Thanks to those who offered advice. Now looking forward to eating rhubarb crumble.



K