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Rubarb just keeps growing....

Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267
in Fruit & veg
I dug up an old rhubarb patch, October time and piled the crowns in a corner with the intention of bagging them up and taking them to the tip.

Fast forward several months and I didn't get time to dispose of them. They have started to grow again despite being severely neglected.  I've selected the best crowns and plan to force them for one last crop.

Have you any stories were despite the odds being against them fruit and veg have thrived.... 

Posts

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,166
    Its not really a surprise that your Rhubarb is sprouting the crowns represent a huge energy store which the commercial growers exploit. In the Rhubarb triangle they grow crowns for 3-4 years in the open fields then dig them up & put them in forcing sheds to produce the delicate pink stems you see in the shops. This was featured on GW a couple of years ago you might be able to find the clip online somewhere.
    AB Still learning

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,051
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_A4GaFCEG0
    try this one
    Devon.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,051
    there are lots more
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,847
    My rhubarb crown is now way too large to fit under the lovely terracotta rhubarb pot which now functions as a garden ornament/bird feeder (saucer-shaped lid upside down on the top).  
    Next year I shall have to commandeer someone's large dustbin unless anyone's got any better ideas?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Richard168Richard168 Posts: 115
    If you were nearby (I travel between London and Cornwall weekly)  I would take some off your hands, why don't you offer them locally?
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267
    I might do as Dove suggests and cover the crowns with a bin, I've nothing to lose, I already have a large patch. Got a second with my ruharb in the Great Ecceleston Show last year. 
  • stbr25457stbr25457 Posts: 5
    Well done for your 2nd in show. Any tips with reference to my post "Free Rhubarb" ?
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,166
    @Dovefromabove you can divide your rhubarb crown in winter & replant smaller sections so you can still use your forcing pot. It's a good idea to do this every 4-5 years anyway as the centre tends to die off. It's a bit brutal but just dig up and chop it up with a sharp spade. You will have to wait for next winter now though mine is sprouting already.
    AB Still learning

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,847
    edited March 2018
    Yes ... I'll probably have to do that next year ... I thought about it in December but having been plagued by knee injuries in the last year or so I decided not to risk a major digging project for a while :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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