Flashback to the days when James Farley’s mighty rhubarb caused envy on the Sandlands allotments.
GARDENINGJAMES and his giant rhubarb always gave me a tinge of size envy.
His sticks were proud and erect, up to waist height, aided by full sun and copious quantities of horse manure applied in quantity each year.
By comparison, my Champagne variety, tucked away by the compost, fell a bit flat — floppy and sad — but very tasty.
James may have moved on from his Sandlands allotment plot but his rhubarb remains in the safe hands of a new holder, and now is the time to start thinking about purchasing crowns of your own if you are to emulate James Farley.
Rhubarb really is a tart jewel in the kitchen and of course, in days when imported fruit was the preserve of the very rich, forced rhubarb in early season provided much-needed fresh fruit, mellowed with sugar or perhaps apple stored over winter in cool and brown paper.
The Wakefield triangle in Yorkshire is the country’s centre for rhubarb forcing, with dark, warm, low sheds devoted to the industry.
And Stockbridge Arrow, hailing from Keighley in that county, remains the best variety, regally standing alongside another fine old variety, Victoria.
Crowns can be ordered now, ready for delivery in March, when (hopefully) the soil will have dried and warmed a tad.
Planting three crowns will allow you to force one (once established) for the earliest tender stems, while giving a previously forced crown a recovery period, as, once they have been forced they should be allowed to grow naturally the following season to recover their vigour.
Rhubarb should be a couple of years old before forcing, as the process takes a lot of energy and plants are best left to establish a good root system first.
Forcing simply excludes light from the growing crown by the use of a rhubarb forcer or an up-turned bucket, encouraging the plant to send out young shoots to seek the light.
Lack of u/v makes the plant give-up on leaf development and keeps the stalks pink and tender.