How To Grow Rhubarb

When it comes to important jobs in late winter as someone who was born in the famous Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle I must remind you to put your rhubarb forces over your rhubarb and bed some farmyard muck round the base.

These is our the new style pictured above. 2023 Rhubarb Forces

Available in small and large. Small w 27cm h 40cm Large w 37cm h 50cm

Its the ideal time to get going with rhubarb when the Crowns are just starting to
shoot. Mulch around them (not over the crown) to warm and protect them ideally with farm yard manure but some like to use other mulching products like straw, leaves or composts and if you want an early crop pop a rhubarb forcer on top and mulch around the outside of the pot. The crowns don't want to be over wet or they will rot and the usual fungal problems will occur.A good mulch around the pot will keep the rhubarb warm and it will leach goodness into the roots.

Rhubarb Forcers block out the light and encourage long shoots more quickly than when growing conventionally.

Don't try and force the same crown each year. Have a few and alternate. They get tired.

Rhubarb forces are available here at the nurseries. Old plants do need lifting and splitting every few years. If there is a really long old rhizome tap root in your crown its best cropped off just replant the younger shoots and roots.

Varieties that we often have in stock are most commonly Victoria and Timperley Early but we do often get other varieties when we can:
Champagne Rhubarb
Raspberry Red
Sutton seedling

One more tip: Rhubarb is sometime planted with brassicas successfully never with legumes. Strawberries and rhubarb will grow also happily together and I think make a good combination and use of space.