Sourcing rhubarb for cropping ASAP?

[d000hg]

Looking for rhubarb for a corner of our large garden. I don't know much about the varieties but I want a low maintenance plant, no forcing etc.

All the options I've seen online are small plants or crown pieces which expect to crop 1.5-2 years.
I have friends with established plants, if they were willing to donate would I get a crop sooner or does rhubarb just need a bit of time to get established, before then going crazy and taking over the garden?!

[Paulie]

Hi. It is a little bit late if you're hoping for a crop this year, but it depends on what your friends give you: If it is an established plant, and you can get it planted very soon, you might get some stalks off it this summer. If it is a crown division you'd be wiser to take none off it until next year.
A couple of tips: rhubarb is low maintenance once it's planted; but when you plant it, do so with some manure or compost, and a feed of blood fish and bone or similar. And when you harvest don't strip the plant or you will weaken it - only take about half of the stalks at any one time.

Good luck!

[Paulie]

Hi. It is a little bit late if you're hoping for a crop this year, but it depends on what your friends give you: If it is an established plant, and you can get it planted very soon, you might get some stalks off it this summer. If it is a crown division you'd be wiser to take none off it until next year.
A couple of tips: rhubarb is low maintenance once it's planted; but when you plant it, do so with some manure or compost, and a feed of blood fish and bone or similar. And when you harvest don't strip the plant or you will weaken it - only take about half of the stalks at any one time.

Good luck!

Sorry, I neglected to answer your last query: no, it won't go crazy and take over your garden - it is quite tame!

[nickdub]

Most of the relevant points have already been covered very well by Paulie. I'd just add that taking a big piece from the outside of an existing rhubarb plant is best - if its large enough that you need a wheelbarrow to move it, so much the better. Secondly make sure that the ground you plant it in is completely clear of perennial weeds - you can't remove couch grass or ground elder from rhubarb plants once they're settled in, and the plant will stay in place for 20 years or more.

[d000hg]

Thanks for the tips. Certainly any shop-bought part is going to be fairly small so I'll see if I can source any closer to home. If I have to wait then so be it, I suppose I thought it seemed ages but really it's just 1 crop (this year) I'd be missing.

[Nicos]

To be honest I'd go for a variety you know you will enjoy.
Colours of stems vary from red to green, some are more stringy and some are sweeter/more flavoursome. Some of mine seem to be larger plants than others.

If you are buying a young plant see if you can source one which sounds more to your taste rather than one easily available.
Better still maybe buy 2different varieties if you have space?

[d000hg]

I've no idea what variety I enjoy, I've always just had "rhubarb" either in a pie or crumble, or we've bought it from Tesco and not checked the variety the same way we might with apples.

We would be using it for pies and jam-making predominantly (might throw some in to brewing experiments too). I'd rather not have a stringy variety otherwise not too fussed - any recommendations?

[alldigging]

Ask a friend who wants to split plants to give you some rhubarb this year? If it's a big plant to be split then it'll produce loads.

[nickdub]

I've no idea what variety I enjoy, I've always just had "rhubarb" either in a pie or crumble, or we've bought it from Tesco and not checked the variety the same way we might with apples.

We would be using it for pies and jam-making predominantly (might throw some in to brewing experiments too). I'd rather not have a stringy variety otherwise not too fussed - any recommendations?

Timperley Early is a famous old variety - I see various traders are offering it for sale on a well-known auction site ;-)

[Nicos]

^^^^nice colour too!

[Jimny14]

We grow Timperley early and I think the other is Victoria. We like both, the Timperley arrives a little before the Victoria. If you change your mind in the future and fancy giving forcing a go Timperley is the one to go for. To really extend your cropping period there is a variety called livingstone which is supposedly autumn cropping although I've no experience of it. I use the freezer to get rhubarb in winter.