PICK YOUR FAVOURITE RHUBARB
RHUBARB likes like a deep, rich soil, although the crowns can rot if they sit in the wet. It is hardy and needs a spell of cold weather to trigger it into stem production. Rhubarb should be dug up every five years and divided to stimulate fresh vigour. The older, central section of the roots should be put on the compost heap and the younger, outer sections replanted with buds about an inch below the surface. Do not pick stalks from these new sections for the first year and cut flowers off as they appear. By the second year, you should have a good crop. The earliest rhubarb can be ‘forced’ by depriving the emerging shoots of light with an upturned bucket or an old chimney pot sealed with a tile. When you harvest rhubarb, pull the stalks rather than cutting them, holding each stalk low down near its base and giving it a twist as you do so it tears off. It is important to stop harvesting in July to give the plant a chance to recharge its roots. There are dozens of varieties but I grow ‘Timperley Early’, ‘Victoria’, and ‘Stockbridge Arrow’.