Forcing rhubarb into an early and bountiful harvest – Agweek

There’s a song going viral on social media right now about a woman named Barbara, who is famous for her rhubarb pie. The whole song is a German tongue twister and catchy.

Rhubarb is also popular because of the trend of people ‘forcing’ rhubarb, a growing technique used for an earlier and tastier rhubarb harvest. I think rhubarb is quite a popular plant worldwide.

Growing rhubarb is a widespread practice in most North Dakota gardens. This plant can grow quite large and take up an entire section of a garden. Rhubarb is also one of the first edible plants we see appearing in spring. So the concept of forcing rhubarb intrigued me, especially because of the claims of brighter color, longer stems and an earlier harvest.

Forcing rhubarb begins at the beginning of the rhubarb season, when the leaves appear. After you’ve removed all the weeds and dirt from the rhubarb plant, add compost for nutrients – around the plant, but not touching it. Then a bucket or rhubarb forcer, a bell-shaped terracotta pot with a lid, is placed over the plant. The rhubarb is then grown in complete darkness for seven to eight weeks, or until the stems are long enough to harvest.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, this process began in Great Britain and dates back to 1817, when someone accidentally dropped a bucket on a rhubarb plant and left it there. When the bucket was removed, the stems were a deep red color. This began the large-scale practice of transplanting rhubarb into windowless, warm sheds and forcing the rhubarb.

So why does forcing rhubarb work? The darkness causes the stem to shoot up in search of light to photosynthesize and make food. Because of the rhubarb’s rhizome system, it can use all available food storage to fuel this rapid growth, leading to long stems and an earlier harvest.

For best results, use plants that are in their third year or older as more food stores are built up. A word of caution: If you decide to try this method of growing rhubarb, do not repeat it on the same plant for several years in a row as it will not be able to recover properly.

You can easily divide a large rhubarb plant to share with your family and friends. In early spring or late fall, take a sharp spade or shovel and divide the crown, leaving three to four buds on the parent plant. Do not harvest from the rhubarb plant the first year and minimal amounts the second year. By the third year, your rhubarb plant should have optimal production. Make sure you don’t overharvest your rhubarb so you still have some next year!

To harvest your rhubarb, simply pull and twist firmly. The rhubarb should loosen and be ready to make your favorite rhubarb dish, or maybe try Barbara’s famous rhubarb pie!

Emily How is an NDSU public information officer in Ward County and an occasional contributor to the Dakota Gardener column.