Forcing February

We are all looking out the window, wondering when and if the rain will ever pass so that we can get up the allotment, put are wellies on and start planting. One plant that may have just started rearing its head is the Rhubarb, last year I found my crop wasn’t quite as tasty as the previous year but this year I’m going to attempt to force the rhubarb. Usually I just let the rhubarb do as it pleases, but it’s also a good tip, like strawberries, to consider dividing the plant. This will help with better crop production as the roots will become less woody and the plant will become more manageable to control. Here are some top tips on forcing your rhubarb:

 

• This simple process provides an earlier harvest of sweeter stems that don't need peeling. The lack of light and the heating effect of the cover will quickly cause the rhubarb to ripen and it will be ready to eat within four weeks.
• You can 'force' a much earlier crop by covering a crown in January or February with a bucket (or with a more ornamental rhubarb forcer – you’ll find these in garden centres). Cover the bucket with horse manure and straw, too - the darkness and warmth will produce tender stems of rhubarb, Place a cover over the rhubarb as soon as it begins to show signs of growth. The rhubarb can then be picked six to eight weeks later.

 

After harvesting, remove the bucket and feed the rhubarb with an organic fertiliser to help it recover. Do not force the same rhubarb for at least two seasons.

 

Dividing Rhubarb

· Rhubarb needs to be divided every five or six years to keep it healthy. Do the job in winter, splitting each plant into three or four crowns, the large bud of which will provide the following season’s shoots. Plant as you would for a young rhubarb (above).