The Food Club

Forcing Rhubarb

Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by Justin in Fruit, Vegetables

This weekend I decided it was the time to start forcing my rhubarb. The gardening books say you can start in January but as I live in the North decided to wait until the first week in February. 

Step 1 - I covered the rhubarb crown with well rotted manure to help give it the best start this season. This is especially important if you are going to force the plant as you are effectively starving it of light. It will need all the nutrients it can get especially after a cold winter. 

Step 2 - Cover the crown with a bucket or in my case I've used a large plant pot I grew my tomatoes with last year. If your plant is under 3 years old it is a bad idea to force the crown as it needs a few years to get established. It is then worth letting the crown recover for a year or two before forcing it again. It should produce some lovely sweet sticks of rhubarb within 6 to 8 weeks.

Tags: early crop, forcing, forcing rhubarb, fruit garden, growing rhubarb, home grown veg