THE moveable feast of
Easter gives variation to each liturgical year, just as the weather
means that each gardening year is unique. In each case, the
underlying structure is there to be respected.
Interestingly, most
people would see the futility of planting out their summer bedding
three months prematurely, and yet Easter eggs have been selling
since the beginning of this month. The secular world seems to trip
over itself in a bid to bring it all on, sooner and sooner. The
garden slows us down. Looking out over the skeleton of last summer
amid fog and frost, I am not called to action, and that is as it
should be.
There is however, a
discipline, born of impatience, which does offer rewards. Plunge a
rhubarb plant into shelter and darkness, and, provided it has been
exposed to sufficient cold beforehand, it will begin to reach for
the light with tender sweet stems.
Yorkshire forced rhubarb
enjoys the same name-protection rights as Stilton cheese and
champagne. In the "rhubarb triangle" of west Yorkshire, the
typically heavy clay soil suits few other crops, and the early
onset of winter provides the "cold units" required before roots can
be dug up and grown on in blacked-out sheds.
On a domestic level, a
similar result can be achieved now by placing an opaque dome,
ranging from a bespoke terracotta rhubarb forcer to an old bucket,
over the rhubarb crown in situ. Inspect for slugs and
snails first, and add a loose bundle of straw for cosiness. In a
month or two, you should be enjoying an early crop. Harvest it by
pulling the stems with an outward twist rather than cutting.
If you do not grow any
fruit, rhubarb, although technically a vegetable, is a good place
to start. Being a perennial, it is slow to get going, but can then
reward you for 20 years or more.
You can buy crowns from
garden centres or online nurseries. Autumn is ideal for planting,
but early spring is a close second, and a sunny or lightly shaded
spot is needed. The ground needs to be "clean": that is, completely
free of weeds and their roots. Removing perennial weeds like couch
grass or bindweed from among the rhubarb's roots is nigh-on
impossible. Rhubarb is a hungry crop, and benefits from a generous
helping of well-rotted manure.
Received wisdom dictates
that growing rhubarb from seed is less satisfactory. After the
sight of three crown-raised plants seemed to underwhelm my partner,
a rhubarb enthusiast, I bought a packet of "Victoria" seed for less
than £1.
I sowed two seeds per
small pot, in February, using multi-purpose compost. They
germinated rapidly on a sunny windowsill. I selected the stronger
of each pair of seedlings to grow on for a couple of weeks before
moving them into a cold frame and then planting them out in April.
That was two years ago, and even last summer we were gathering
juicy stems from what could definitely be called a rhubarb
patch.
This year, I hope to be offering it round the village.