moving rhubarb and gooseberries

[weekendwellies]

I would like to move these from the back garden to the allotment to make room for more flowers. When is the best time to do this?

[Jeanied]

Unfortunately - autumn! I am in pretty much the same position. My rhubarb patch is huge so I need to split it and I have 4 gooseberry bushes to move as well. Trouble is they are all in full production and would not take kindly to me annoying them at this stage while they are so busy!

ETA - you could just about get away with it WW if they had only recently been planted - like in the last few months.

[rustylady]

You might get away with doing it now, but don't expect a crop this year. Prepare the new site, dig the plants up with as big a rootball as you can, and put them straight into their new home. Water in really well, and make sure they don't go short of water in the next few months,

[weekendwellies]

Unfortunately - autumn!

ETA - you could just about get away with it WW if they had only recently been planted - like in the last few months.

No, they went in 2008, got a good crop off them last year though.

You might get away with doing it now, but don't expect a crop this year.

I can wait till I have had the crop, no worries. I love me rhubarb crumble and gooseberry tarts.

Time is not an issue so I can leave it till later in the year.

Thanks, guys

[maypril]

I can wait till I have had the crop, no worries. I love me rhubarb crumble and gooseberry tarts.

Wait until the rhubarb has died back in the autumn, then carefully dig the rootball out and plant in the new location. You might want to split some of them if you want more plants (just slice a spade right through the middle and plant the two halves separately). In the first year, you shouldn't harvest any crowns that have been split as they need time to recover, but you can harvest the year after.

Gooseberry, just dig up and plant in the new location in the Autumn. Autumn is also a good time to take cuttings.