Force Rhubarb for an Early Crop

As I write this it is March here in Toronto, and I have just devoured a wedge of rhubarb pie. Of course, I wouldn’t be writing about the pie if the rhubarb wasn’t from my garden...but the rhubarb is actually growing in my cold cellar.

Let me explain: If you give rhubarb a suitable spot, the single plant that you plonk in the ground will eventually grow into a dense patch. The patch in my yard is probably 60 years old and was neglected for many of those years (not by me, of course!)

Rhubarb tolerates abuse. But just because you can abuse and neglect it doesn’t mean that it won’t respond to a bit of TLC. So, just like perennials in the flower border, it’s a good idea to divide rhubarb clumps on occasion, then throw a bit of compost or good soil into the hole you’ve left.

And if you’re not giving away the divisions to friends, voila: You now have rhubarb roots that you can force in the late winter or early spring.

See my brief slide show on forcing rhubarb: