Part 0800.0005

[Griffin]

I bought a rhubarb plant earlier on this year. It got destroyed by the chickens So I bought another one and this one has grown about five stalks. Now the rabbit has eaten most of it's leaves My fruit & veg is about to have a sturdier fence built around it So now I have five stalks sticking out of the ground, should I cut them and use them, leaving just the ends behind or should I just leave it? I've no idea how it grows but I want it to get bigger for next year. I've no idea how it grows, I'm assuming it's not going to be like the strawberries that sprout new babies.

[..lay a little egg for me]

Don't cut it! Rhubarb needs at least one growing season before you should harvest any. It should die down in the winter and absorb the nutrients back out of the leaves (if it had any) to keep in going over the winter. It starts to sprout again very early in the spring. What we do then is to put an old composter minus its lid over the rhubarb. This makes it grow quicker but not like the forcing sheds (like they use in the rhubarb triangle in Leeds). It is semi-forced. My mum used to do the same thing but using an old metal dustbin which had had its bottom rusted out. You get an early crop of really tasty rhubarb. We take the composter off it in around May/June and let it grow plenty in order to have strength for next year. If you force it completely, the plants have to be left to grow (without forcing) for 2 years to recover, so we find this semi-forcing is a good compromise. We also find the composter trick ensures the chooks can't get at it! We put plenty of manure on it in spring too as I think it needs plenty of food.

[sjp]

I wouldn't force it next year give it a good mulch of rotted muck or compost once the shoots start to come through in the spring. let it grow on for a bit longer if it gets a good few stalks on it then crop them but don't over do it then force it the next spring

[Tara.F]

...and if you want more rhubarb plants, lift it next autumn/winter. Split in two and replant