‘Ere be Monsters’
The ‘Rhubarb triangle’ sounds like it might be a sketch from Monty pythons flying circus or a song by Barry Manilow? It is in fact an area 9-square-miles triangle in West Yorkshire located between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell famous for producing early forced rhubarb.
The Rhubarb Triangle was originally much bigger covering an area between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, but as the demand for forced rhubarb has deminished so has the number of growers.
From the first decade of the 20th century to 1939 the rhubarb industry expanded and at its peak covered an area of about 30-square-miles
For an early harvest of tender and pink rhubarb at home, cover the crowns in December or January with a layer of straw or bracken and cover over with an upturned bucket or a traditional clay rhubarb pot to exclude light. Stems will be ready to pull two to three weeks earlier than uncovered crowns. This can make it one of the first crops from the garden a warm welcome after a long cold winter.
One of the assets of rhubarbs is the fact it crops over a long period, is completely hardy and grows in any garden soil.
Plant crowns in November or December. If necessary, planting can continue up to the beginning of March. Buy named cultivars from your local garden centre or choose a division from a strong, healthy-looking plant.
A gardening pal of mine was dividing up his row of crowns last winter and I became the proud owner of a whole rhubarb patch, for most gardeners just one or two crowns will suffice. If planting more than one crown, space plants (3ft) apart.
In hot summers, if the ground becomes dry, growth will slow down and even stop. A spring mulch of well-rotted organic matter two to three inches deep will help to retain moisture but do not cover the crowns. Water well during prolonged dry periods.
Allow the foliage to die back naturally in autumn then cut away the old leaves to expose the growing points to winter cold.
Stems can be picked from the early cultivars from March to April. Do not harvest in the first season after planting as this will assist the new plant to establish, as most plants need a year to get there feet in the soil and harvest only lightly in the second season to avoid weakening the crowns.
The last harvest is usually in late summer, around July or August, this allows for cropping during the village show season, the growing of champion Rhubarb can be a hotly contested class in many a village hall or sun lit marquee. The real secret for show Rhubarb is in the uniformity of the three or four stick required in the show schedule. Also remember to pull the stick not detaching the white tip, also not to overly trim the leaf, once trimmed, this should resemble a diamond shaped spade.
Jobs
to do this month, when the weather allows.
1. Check your winter protection structures are still
securely in place
On plants such
as tree ferns and out door banana plants.
2. Check that greenhouse heaters are working OK
3. Prune fruit trees such as apples and pears leave plums and cherries until late spring.
4. Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and
remaining root crops
5. Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and
transplanted
6. Take hardwood cuttings
For more gardening go to http://earthgardencareanddesign.moonfruit.com/
http://dartmouthgarden.blogspot.com/
