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Tending:
More tender sticks of rhubarb can be forced to grow early by excluding light and keeping warm:
- Towards the end of January cover the plant with a dustbin or something similar.
- Cover this with manure or straw for insulation.
- Sticks will be ready after 5-6 weeks.
- Leave this plant for two years without picking.
Harvesting:
- Don't pick from rhubarb in its first year, and take only a few sticks from a plant in its second year.
- Pick unforced shoots from March-July.
- Don't cut them: hold each stick at the base and pull up with a twist.
- Leave at least 3 or 4 leaves on the plant.
- Don't eat the leaves: their oxalic acid content makes them poisonous - add them to the compost heap.
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