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Forcing, Earthing Up, Blanching.. what's it all about?

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  • #1

    Forcing, Earthing Up, Blanching.. what's it all about?

    Morning All,

    Over the past year of learning how to grow fruit & veg I have come across the above terms and I was just wondering firstly, with what is the term or definition for when someone does something (e.g. forcing, earthing up, blanching) to get a desired outcome (in this case a higher yield/quicker harvest) from the crops they have planted.

    Would it be called manipulation of the plant?

    I ask this because I am interested in learning how to get more from what I plant (as to say I originally thought just planting and not doing anything else to the crop physically would be al that was needed but now I am learning about these terms/techniques I am keen to try them to get a bigger harvest).

    As I understand it currently, you earth up potatoes for bigger yields, force rhubarb using a pot to get bigger stems and blanch leeks (or earth them up) to get bigger stems.

    It would be interesting to get hold of something which would tell me how I can manipulate the plant in order to get more from it. Anyone got any sources?

    I hope this makes sense & thank you for your time.

    Samuel
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  • #2
    Potatoes are earthed up; to protect growth from frost; to stop the tubers from turning green and becoming poisonous; to support the stems and to produce more tubers as potatoes are stem tubers rather than root tubers.
    Rhubarb is forced in the dark to reduce the chemicals that are produced by photosynthesis which do not taste as nice.

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    • #3
      Feed it the right sort of food for the end result you want.

      Have you read Vegetable Growing by John Harrison? Or his Essential Allotment Guide? They are both easy to read books that you might find useful and interesting.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Samuel1988 View Post
        ... force rhubarb ... to get bigger stems and blanch leeks (or earth them up) to get bigger stems
        No, it's to get paler, sweeter stems, not bigger. Isn't it?
        All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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        • #5
          Thank you for your replies

          Just goes to show you're always learning!

          I think I may not have been clear enough regarding my query.

          I wish to get my hands on some information source which may help me get the most from what I grow so say if Person A just plants potatoes, rhubarb etc & just does general care/watering etc vs Person B wo does the same but earths up, forces etc (so Person B's crop is either better quality, not green etc etc).

          So im trying to find an information source where I can learn all these tidbit tips of information to get the best from my fruit & veg (so tips beyond planting and general care).

          I hope this makes sense (im confusing myself now lol)?

          Will check out Vegetable Growing by John Harrison.

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          • #6
            You'll get the best tips on here Samuel but you'll need to make your questions simpler
            Forcing, earthing up and blanching are done for different reasons and don't always result in more produce.
            For example, if you blanch rhubarb you stress it, so it may need a year off to recover. If you grow it conventionally you can take sticks from it every year.
            Other veg, like some chicories, are blanched to take away the bitterness of the leaves. Since they are annuals, its doesn't matter that they are stressed.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Samuel1988 View Post
              im trying to find ... information to get the best from my fruit & veg
              The growing season is so mad full-on, that I don't have time to do anything "on top of" the basics, ie planting, watering, harvesting.

              If you do have lots of time on your hands, and you want to do some trials for your own satisfaction, of course go ahead and experiment. There are numerous 'alternative' books on gardening, which offer the reader a different way of doing things, which might satisfy your curiosity. My current favourites are:

              Gaia's Garden
              One Straw Revolution
              Sepp Holtzer's Permaculture

              I haven't provided links 'cos they're easy enough to find on that famous online bookshop
              All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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              • #8
                If you are new to this then I suggest you just do it "by the book" for whatever you are growing.

                If opinion is evenly divided then, apart from the different methods being specific to soil type or location, then "either will do"

                Most important thing, as a newbie, is to get a half decent crop. As a newbie crop failure is very disheartening - more so than for old-hands who know what to expect - particularly after Lots of work, Lots of attention to detail, of Lots of anything else!

                I also recommend that Newbies stick to varieties that they like to eat - don't experiment with unknown things nor things you don't especially like as crop-failure on those is doubly disappointing! Growing things that have high-yield and cost-lots in the shops, have superior flavour if home-grown (e.g. because you select a variety specifically for Flavour) will have a high Feel Good factor on the reward side - even if, specifically for a newbie, the crop yield is not all that great.

                My advice to a newbie would be that Experimentation, or even properly understanding Why?, can come later.
                Last edited by Kristen; 27-03-2014, 03:46 PM.
                K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Kristen View Post
                  If you are new to this then I suggest you just do it "by the book" ... Experimentation, or even properly understanding Why?, can come later.
                  That's what I typed originally, but deleted it because it sounded a bit harsh the way I'd put it: 'learn to walk before you try running'.

                  What I mean is, you need to get the basics right before you have the necessary information to start experimenting. Once you have a few years under your belt Samuel, you will get so much more out of it, you'll know more, you'll know what works & what doesn't, and you can start tinkering with techniques
                  All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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                  • #10
                    And the John Harrison is a really easy read and introduction to allotment growing.

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