Rhubarb Problems

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Problems Growing Rhubarb

Flowering:

Some cultivars can be more prone than others.
Remove flower stalks as soon as they appear to prevent them weakening the crowns.
Flowering is usually worse after wet summers or where high nitrogen feed has been overused.

Thin, weak stems:

Lots of thin stems indicate the crown is losing vigour and needs to be divided (see ‘Propagation’).
Increased feeding may also help.

Split stems, sometimes exuding sticky sap:

This is sometimes caused by late frosts but is often an indication of erratic growth due to seasonal conditions.
Cool or dry periods followed by moist or mild weather means the hard outer growth splits when the new, rapid growth occurs.
Mulching and feeding may help to avoid the worst damage.

Green, poor quality stems:

Warm, dry summers can give rise to poorly-coloured, bad-tasting stalks.
Try to harvest earlier while the days are cooler and moister.

Slow or no growth:

Rhubarb will stop growing if the temperature rises above 32ºC (90ºF).
This can happen in hot summers.
Growth can also slow or stop if the plants are under drought stress so watering may help.

Category: Recipes

Lamb Cutlets with Butternut Squash & Mint

Simply delicious one of my all time favourites

Baked Salmon & Asparagus with Jersey Royal's

Tasty and so easy to make, great dinner party dish or a cracking family treat, and a healthy dish too especially if like me you have an Asparagus Bed or two!.

Aubergine Parmigiana

This simple aubergine parmigiana recipe from Italy makes a cosy mid-week meal. Serve this cheese, tomato and aubergine bake as a vegetarian main dish, with some wholewheat garlic bread or a peppery rocket salad, or you can also make it as a hearty side for for a meat dish.!

Category: The Growing Season

Jobs to do in October

October is the month when it feels like the season is about to turn, the days start to shorten and the sun appears lower in the sky, the leaves change colour and fall to the ground and temperatures drop. The first frost are likely too, which will be the end of many of your crops out in the open so if you still haven’t harvested frost sensitive crops now is the time before Jack Frost gets them!

Jobs to do in April

Spring should be here but watch out for frosts!

Sow seed outdoors
Vegetable growing really takes off this month. Chit and plant out second early potatoes in the first half of the month, maincrop potatoes in the second half. It's also time to sow seed outdoors in well-prepared soil.

Jobs to do in January

Jobs to do on the Allotment in January
January is generally a very cold month with hard frosts freezing the ground and when the ground isn't frozen it is generally too wet to do much although there are no guarantees with British weather. Looking through my diaries, snow isn't that likely for a prolonged period but you never know.

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