forcing rhubarb

[greendean]

no, not making my kids eat it

i have grow rhubarb for years and love homemade rhubarb crumble and rhbarb and ginger jam but this year i put a dustbin over a crown to try forcing it.

blow away with the results. loads of lovely pale pink stems. i even ate some raw just to see what it was like. taste sensation, its the future, as peter kay would say.

just thought you would like to know

[Tori]

I don't like rubarb but I am growing it for my mum. Do I have to force it or can I just leave it to grow?

[Snadger]

I don't like rubarb but I am growing it for my mum. Do I have to force it or can I just leave it to grow?

Try forcing some but don't force all of it as the forced stuff will give the earliest crop and tuther stuff will come online later. Don't leave it covered all summer though, crop it well then take the forcer off and let it reover abit before winter.

For people wanting REALLY early crops, dig up a clump in autumn with soil, ad a bit of extra peat or coir for moisture retention andput it under the greenhouse staging with some form of light inhibitor i.e. black plastic or bucket or bin over it. This will give you eally early rhubarb but the 'crown' will be totally depeleted of nutrients and will just need throwing away whence finished cropping.