2010 Snow and Rhubarb
Featured on Farming Today . BBC Radio 4 - 5.45 13th January 2010.
Interviewed by: Anna Hill
Our intrepid Rhubarb Pioneers Jon Lowe (Farm Manager) and John Blazey (Crop Manager) had this to say about the snow and Rhubarb.
We were happy to see the snow At present our Timperley Rhubarb is in it's dormant period
The mild weather before Christmas meant that we were starting to see some leaf growth which could have been a problem as rhubarb grows very quickly. It loves water, likes some feeding, and grows at an incredible rate once warm.
However the cold is a blessing for us. We have learned by trial and error that Rhubarb plants re-generate themselves much better if stored dormant at around 3 degrees or less. These gave us a yield of 90% of strong healthy plants vs 70% for those that were left in the ground during a mild winter. So, as you can imagine we were quite happy to see the snow - Natures natural cold store.
Ideal conditions for Timperley Rhubarb
Nice warm autumn, short cold spell ( approx 5 weeks) and then a warm spring
As Anne Hills commented. Fussy plants aren't they!
