As trees were removed, areas of the yard now basked in the new found sun. Something besides shade loving flowers became possible. A neighbor who had a very large rhubarb patch gave us some rhubarb roots a couple of years ago. Last year was its first year and I eagerly harvested enough stalks for a pie. I am not sure if, in my rush to partake in the culinary delight, I may have done the plant and us an injustice. Thinking about it recently, I wondered if enough stalks remained to replenish the roots with the necessary nutrients. As last years harvest was the first, it would not be good if it were the last. Is there some guideline to an allowable harvest of rhubarb? I suppose proof of the pudding(rhubarb) will be the plants that emerge this spring. Still, it would be nice to have a better understanding of rhubarb harvest techniques. Jerry
Jerry I think you are safe harvesting what ever amount of rhubarb you want as long as you leave a few leaves on the plant each time you harvest and it will keep producing new leaves throughout the summer. And as soon as the stems start to get tough and stringy, we don't bother harvesting the stalks any longer so that leaves plenty of food manufacturing for the roots. This year if you have access to some nice aged compost/manure give it a nice side dressing. I think they are heavy feeders and can use it every spring (or fall if you prefer). I don't do much of anything to my rhubarb and it keeps on growing just fine. I even saw new leaves emerging just the other day.
Rhubarb has never done well for me in this desert heat. I gave up. But, I might be able to help with growing that crust. Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:45 am Post subject: Growing green manure? Anybody ever grow a patch of wheat? A couple of gardening friends and I grow cover crops in our in-ground beds and raised beds. So far it's been whatever seeds we have on hand like store bought beans, extra chard and mustard seed etc. Anyway, this year my neighbor (& garden buddy) grew a 6' X 12' patch of wheat as a green manure crop. She got a little baggie of seed from a neighbor who was growing a field of red Durham winter wheat. She got sick and couldn't garden for a few weeks. The wheat grew and ripened rather than getting turned under. She decided to harvest the wheat and make some bread. So another garden friend and I (that three old ladies) went out and cut the wheat and tied it into bundles. We left it out in the sun to dry for two weeks. Then, we cut the business end of the wheat from the stalks and put them in plastic buckets. We used plastic baseball bats to break them up. While two of us smashed the wheat with those bats. The third person would hold the stuff we smashed in front of an electric fan and let the wind separate the wheat from the chaff. It took three of us three hours. I was surprised. We got six quarts of grain from a 6' X 12" patch. That's more than I expected. It took three ladies 3 hours. After this was done. We took our jars of wheat indoors and Miss. A. put it through her grinder. She made us all some waffles. She'll use the rest to make bread. We may grow another wheat crop for compost or green manure. I doubt any of us will go through the whole process again. But, should we ever need to "grow" a loaf of bread, all three of us know how to do it.
