My mom's rhubarb plant had been struggling for years in our backyard, and disappeared altogether when moved to the front potager. Oddly, the plant reappeared two successive springs only to die back as quickly as it had arrived. Finally, this year mom's rhubarb produced three smallish leaves that looked as though they might survive.
Two weeks ago I read a post on Facebook, Canadian Gardeners, by Robert Pavlis. He had written about 'blanching' rhubarb - covering the plant with a pot or bucket, depriving it of light early in the growing season - a process more common in the UK than Canada; and, said to produce quicker growth and more tender fruit.
Mr. Pavlis researched the blanching process with his rhubarb, covering half the plant and leaving the other half uncovered. He reported, and his photos illustrated, that his experiment proved quite successful.
Deciding to give 'blanching' a try in my own garden, I covered our small rhubarb plant with a plastic pot that blended in nicely with the garden decor. Then I hoped for the best.
Today, only two weeks later, I glimpsed leaves through the vent holes in the bottom, now the top of the covering pot; and, when I decided to take a look underneath, was met with a wonderful surprise.
The rhubarb had grown four small but healthy, tender shoots of bright scarlett stems and lighter green leaves. The harvest was small but the experiment produced the first edible rhubarb from our plant in many years; so, I was greatly impressed.
My grand-daughter quickly ate one small piece after it was washed, without sugar, and declared it sour but tasty. I chopped the rest and stored it for stewing later - a favourite treat for my mom.
I'm grateful to Mr. Pavlis for introducing me to the idea of blanching rhubarb. It's a process I believe I will continue, now that I've seen the positive results.
