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Forcing-Rhubarb to Grow in the Off-Season
You can be forcing-rhubarb to grow in your basement or garage over the winter months. You don't actually have to wait until Spring. After the outdoor harvest and before the first winter freeze, select a few older plants and dig them up. Make sure they are still well blanketed in their original soil. They can now be placed into large pots or half barrels and covered with straw. The straw will keep them moist while they go through the first freeze outside. At this point, bring them inside to your basement or garage or where the temperature is at least fifty degrees. When growing rhubarb indoors, you must follow a few rules. There must be good ventilation around the pots so that mould does not grow. The light must be kept out. Yes,...keep the light out! This prevents chlorophyll from developing, and that means the leaves won't grow very fast. In turn, this makes the stalks juicier. The stalks should be ready to harvest in approximately one month. Don't abandon your pots just yet. These plants will continue to produce more yummy stalks for another 4 or 5 weeks or more. Once the temperatures warm outdoors, transplant this root again to your rhubarb garden. And, have patience. It may take awhile for this plant to produce again, but in time it will. Forcing rhubarb outside can be done as well in order to speed up the entire
process. Just place large pots over the crowns of your rhubarb and
insulate with straw or manure.
Double-click below to see a great little video
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Ratnage
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