Grow your own: Rhubarb
By Elisabeth Arter
Why grow rhubarb? Because it's easy, long-lasting and delicious in desserts
'Eaten as fruit, but botanically a vegetable, rhubarb is so easy to grow, trouble-free and good to eat that I think it deserves a place in every garden.'
Harvesting The days are growing longer, the sun has more power and, for me, spring is really on its way when I can pull enough rhubarb to make a pie. I have pulled rhubarb at the end of January and, in an average winter, hope to make a pie before February is done, and gain an abundance of succulent tasty stalks all through March and April. As long as it has plenty of water, you can keep pulling some rhubarb up until the summer soft fruit is ready to pick. Always choose tender young stalks with leaves almost fully developed, but still a bit crumpled.
To harvest, twist the stalk as you pull sharply, so that it comes away without bringing up more immature sticks at the same time. Don't pull stalks with mature smooth leaves, as they will be tough, stringy and past their best. Leaves, which contain oxalic acid, must never be eaten but consigned to the compost heap. Remove any stems with flower buds immediately they appear.
How easy is it to grow? Eaten as fruit, but botanically a vegetable, rhubarb is so easy to grow, trouble-free and so good to eat that I think it deserves a place in every garden. It does not need a lot of space, just a round patch about 1m (1yd) across on good soil, in sun or part shade, for a good-sized clump. Rhubarb is happy in full sun or part shade, but not in a really gloomy spot, and likes good fertile soil and generous feeding. It needs ample water in the growing season, but also good drainage as the roots hate to be waterlogged. I've found that it does very well on alkaline soil, and I had my earliest crop by far when it was grown on a very free-draining, south-facing slope.
Starting from seed You'll find rhubarb seed listed in mail-order catalogues and I've found it easy to start plants this way. But you'll do far better buying a crown (plant) of a modern variety that is guaranteed to be virus-free. Rhubarb is very long-lived, and so if you buy a high quality crown, divide this as it becomes overcrowded, or if you happen to move house, and you can enjoy delicious desserts for a lifetime.
Recommended varieties Highly recommended are two varieties bred at the Stockbridge House Experimental Station. 'Stockbridge Arrow' is early, a heavy cropper and produces thick, bright-red sticks. 'Stockbridge Harbinger' has long, high-quality sticks and a very good flavour. It is a mid-season rhubarb but also forces well. 'Timberley Early' has long been renowned for its earliness in the open garden. It is easy to force and still an excellent choice.
When and how do I plant it? Planting is best done between late autumn and the end of winter, but I've moved rhubarb successfully in April and a friend did so in late June, attributing her success to emptying a bowl of new potato scrapings and washing water on the plant every day for the first few weeks. Prepare the site for each plant well, digging deeply, taking out every trace of perennial weeds and forking in a bucketful of well-rotted manure or garden compost. Plant each crown so the growth buds show just above soil level. If you are putting in more than one, they need to go in about 1m (3ft) apart to allow for spread. Don't pull any stalks in the first year, and only a few in the second.
In theory, a pot-grown plant can be planted at any time. To be sure of plenty of succulent stems, add a generous annual top-dressing of well-rotted manure or garden compost and water copiously in long dry spells.
What about maintenance? When the top growth dies down in autumn, I clear this away, along with any weeds or fallen leaves, and add them to the compost heap. Then I gently fork in the manure around each clump, taking care not to damage the rhubarb roots. Liquid feeding when growth has started in spring is also beneficial, especially on poorer soils.
A clump of rhubarb can go on until the middle starts to die out and stalks become thin – usually after about five years. You then need to dig the entire clump up and replant just some of the best youngest growth from around the sides.
Alternatively, dig up some of the best bits around the outside of a mature clump, using a sharp spade to separate their roots from the remainder of the plant. Plant the pieces so that your new rhubarb becomes established while the old clump is still in production. This is also a good way to start new plants if you are moving home.
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How to get an early crop Earliest rhubarb is produced commercially in special dark and warm forcing houses. In old kitchen gardens where a lot of people were employed, the crowns from the rhubarb bed were lifted, left on top of the ground for frost and cold to break the plants' dormancy, and then forced under the staging in heated glasshouses. These crowns were discarded after harvest.
Forcing rhubarb today We can hurry our rhubarb along more gently in the open garden by covering a plant from early in January to keep it dark and warm. An upturned plastic dustbin does the job well, and when spring comes, it can be used to store rainwater through the warm months. I hasten my plants by surrounding them with a circle of sturdy polythene – 75-90cm (30in-3ft) high – saved when replacing my polytunnel cover. This is held in position by slim stakes and filled with fallen leaves. You can force the same plant once in two or three years, but it's best not to do it year after year.
Pots for forcing A traditional terracotta forcing pot will be pricey (£50-£150 plus p&p) and cover only a smallish plant, although it makes a functional ornament for a cottage garden or modern potager. Less-expensive versions (about £50) look like terracotta but are made of plastic. As these are lighter, they need to be pegged down. If terracotta, check that they are guaranteed to be frost-proof.
Ornamental rhubarb The culinary rhubarb is not a pretty plant and best grown out of sight of house windows. But its cousin the Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) is a handsome plant that will make a large and imposing focal point for a damp border or beside a pond.
It must have moist soil and needs a lot of room, but will reward you by making a great clump of big, deeply-lobed leaves, which are crimson when young, and tall, upright stems carrying feathery plumes of tiny flowers, turning from a creamy green shade to deep red.
Culinary ideas Prepare rhubarb by cutting off the remains of any leaves and the root end, then cutting into short lengths with a sharp knife. Serve rhubarb stewed, made into a pie, crumble or a baked pudding topped by sponge. Serve all of these with plenty of good thick custard and soft brown sugar to taste.
Preserve rhubarb by cutting into short lengths, packing in plastic bags and freezing for no longer than two to three months, or blanch for one minute before draining and packing if you want to keep it in the freezer for 10 months or so. You can also make rhubarb and ginger jam (adding lemon juice for a good set), chutney, or wine.
Some rhubarb history Some species of rhubarb were grown for medicinal use as far back as 2,700 BC in China. They are thought to have been brought to Europe by Marco Polo and were grown by 14th-century monks because the root provided a strong laxative.
Our garden rhubarb, which has also been referred to as the pie plant, is a hybrid that was developed long ago and became popular in Victorian times. Queen Victoria herself enjoyed eating it.
There's some indication that the discovery of delicious forced rhubarb was made by chance at the Chelsea Physic Garden early in the 19th century. Since then, forced rhubarb has been produced on a large scale in West Yorkshire, and today the tender tasty stalks are very much in fashion. Garden rhubarb is not used medicinally, but if you suffer from constipation, eating an average helping of the stewed stalks mixed with your breakfast cereal and milk does have a gentle laxative effect.
About the author Elisabeth Arter has been gardening for several decades, since she was a child, in East Kent. Her key interests are vegetables, fruit and herbs and much of her current plot is devoted to an organic kitchen garden. As a keen cook, she makes up her own recipes using mainly home-grown produce. She has been a garden writer for many years and is also part of the Gardens Monthly Q&A team of horticultural experts.
For further gardening advice, hints and tips, go to www.gardensmonthly.co.uk