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Having seen the price of rhubarb in the shops last year (£1.99 for 3 sticks) I thought I might have a go at growing my own, and wondered whether they are easy and would welcome any tips (including on buying)
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hgaf.org.uk -
Fairly easy.
Good well manured wwed-free (couch bindweed etc) spot in sunlight that is not too dry.
But you won't get anything worthwhile from a plant put in now until next year.
If you have the room, plant three crowns.
Then each year you have;
one to force using some sort of barrel to cover it early in the year.
one to harvest unforeced
one to rest afte being forced the previous year.Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
Visit my blog at http://podsplot.blogspot.com/ - Updated 18th October 2009
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We've recently moved and just bought 3 crowns for the garden. You save a fortune if you really like rhubarb. Peter's right in that you won't get anything this year but your plants will be well established by next.
Well manured and prepared planting site is key as is sunshine!Comment
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I have five crowns, four mature and one immature (can't harvest from it until the crown has got much bigger). Just make sure you feed it well with maure and potash each year both at the start and end of the season, also you can seperate them in later years to avoid crown rot but cannot replant in the same area (supposedly, but I always dig t over and incorporate lots of well rotted manure and compost). This is a versatile plant and underrated.Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb talesComment
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I heard that you might get a small crop the first year, but not to be tempted to pick it as you should let the plant feed it's crown the first year with these stalks. You'll then end up with much better crown going forward...Shortie
"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding CarterComment
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I never feed or manure and potash the rhubarb. It just grows and grows. Even the year when we dug a load up and threw it in a big heap it still carried on growing
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Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.
~ Mary Kay AshComment
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Jennie- maybe andrewo should move to Shetland and you could all set up a rhubarb distillary??
"Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple
Location....Normandy FranceComment
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I bought a crown of Timperley Early for about £1.95 from a garden centre & it is growing well.It was in a small polythene pack, I've seen crowns advertised for anything from £6 to £12 each & if you buy them in a pot they tend to be expensive. Woolworths had a pack of 2 in their sale the other day for about £2 but you would have to just be lucky to find them in any particular branch as they just have a variety of different fruit & flower plants on offer.Originally posted by dabbit
Into every life a little rain must fall.Comment
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