Rhubarb + an ode to the sweet pea

                                         (Rhubarb slowly showing itself after its winter hibernation)

When I was a boy, rhubarb was one of those foods you never actually went to the shops to buy; everyone either had a clump, or knew someone who had a clump and supplied you as and when. It was invariably wrapped in newspaper and would be turned into a pie and crumble. 

Our rhubarb clump is slowly showing signs of re-emergence from its winter's sleep. Its huge storage organs will soon be sending the first welcome stalks skyward to be eaten with relish. 

Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable, but treated like a fruit - just as a tomato is a fruit but is invariably treated like a vegetable. However, the original use of the rhubarb was as a medicine. If you needed a laxative, or indeed suffered from syphilis, rhubarb was the way forward! 

It is easy to grow; we have a large clump some of which was grown from seed. It needs a while to establish - you should limit pickings the first year of planting. After that, pick away, but stop after mid summer. This gives the plant time to put its energies into preparing for the winter. And never cut off stalks, rather pull away from the crown to stop any disease from a cut stalk dying back. 

                                                      (Rhubarb in all its summer glory)

Traditionally, rhubarb is 'forced' over winter to produce the earliest, sweetest stems. Forcing is essentially covering over a clump to exclude any light. We have a couple of rhubarb forcers, but an old bucket will do fine. Just remember once you have pulled those tender sweet stalks, leave the plant to recover, and never force the same clump two years running. 

One the essential ingredients of this, and any summer garden are sweet peas (Lathyrus odorous). They come in a variety of colours and vary from highly scented to none at all (I personally cannot see the point of unscented sweet peas). Cutting the fragrant stems on a warm summer's day is one of the delights of the season. We start ours off, from seed, two seeds to a three inch pot anytime from late Autumn to early spring. 

             

                                            (Sweet peas. a photo will never do them justice)

Autumn sown plants tend to come into flower earlier, but in the colder winters, we have lost autumn sown seeds to mice or severe frosts. Once the seeds have germinated and are growing strongly, it's always a good idea to pinch out the stems after the first two leaves are fully open. This produces a stronger, busier plant. The plants can then be moved to a sheered area - or cold frame if you have one - and planted out in late spring. They will need a structure to grow up; bamboo canes are ideal or hazel rods for a more rustic feel. The plants will need to be tied into the structure to begin with. They will produce tendrils that cling on as they grow taller. The ground they grow in needs to be rich; an addition of garden compost prior to planting out is ideal, and they will need watering if the weather is dry. 

We cut the stems every few days, the more you cut the more flowers they produce, filling jam jars throughout the summer (you can use vases if you are that way inclined), but jam jars suit us fine. 

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