I don't believe this, the 15 year old plant I got off my mum went all soft & yucky so I just chopped it up with a spade to rot down in the bed. I've only got 3 new shoots coming through in different places.

Tricky was kind enough to post me a crow of rhubarb last year! I put it in a big pot and only pulled off a couple of stalks as it grew last year. I left the other 3 or 4 that grew to die down. untill last week it had stayed in the pot with its peatfree compost, I did not cover it or anything, to be honest I forgot about it! Sorry Tricky However on a good note, it is now doing quite nicely in my garden border! It had already started to sprout new leaves so I dug it a nice deep hole, chucked a small handfull of chicken pellets in covered them with a little soil then poped the crown in and back filled the hole! I do hope I can have some to cook with this year, its been a long wait!

I think it was in last month's issue, but I read about rhubarb crown rot somewhere. It happens on clay type soils that are not well drained. I'd already dug up my Victoria root and found the centre was liquid, but there were shoots growing around it that looked OK. I had cut off the 'bad' bits and replanted elsewhere, but the article said to dig up and destroy (not compost) affected roots because it's incurable. I have one piece growing quite strongly, and I've planted it in a more well drained part of the garden, so I am tempted to see how it goes. If it's a disease that spreads, I've already spread it, and if the new piece gets it, I'll just get rid of it. I have got 2 seedlings growing, courtesy of the seed swap parcel last year, but I'm not sure where's best to put them. It will take a while for them to get big enough to be useful anyway.

My rhubarb crowns all sit in a nice little row, couldnt tell you the variety, and all do quite nicely sir thank you. I suppose it helps that they all sit behind the compost heap, which is filled up constantly with cow and horse manure, some of the goodness must leach down into the rhubarb bed with the rain I guess??
I harvest when ready and once the plant dies down I cover in muck.
Clearly I'm very lucky with the stuff. Split one crown this winter for friends, wont know how thats got on till I get home I suppose, but the root growth from the one I lifted up was mmmmaaaasssiiiivveee so I'm hoping all will be well.

Well, all is not lost!

Whilst on the plot on Saturday (wasn't it a gorgeous day!?) I noticed that the other plant is now growing - it's meagre by comparison to it's neighbour/sibling, but it's there none the less.

It's bigger brother (or sister I guess) is going great guns and I actually had my first harvest of the year!

Woop woop.

Never give up hope people.