Rhubarb 'Timperley Early'

Planting Your Rhubarb
Choose a sunny or lightly shaded position with fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Rhubarb can stay productive in the same spot for many years, so prepare the ground well before planting with plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost.

Planting Crowns
Plant crowns with the growing point at soil level or just visible above the surface, spacing plants around 75–90cm apart. Water well after planting. If you can't plant straight away, keep the crowns somewhere cool and keep the roots moist, then plant as soon as possible.

Planting Potted Plants
Potted rhubarb can be planted straight into its final position. Plant at the same depth it was growing in the pot, gently firm the soil around the root ball and water thoroughly.

Growing in Containers
Rhubarb can also be grown in a large container filled with good-quality compost. Make sure the pot has good drainage and water regularly, particularly during warm, dry weather. Container-grown plants will need more frequent watering and feeding than those growing in the ground.

Watering & Feeding
Water during prolonged dry spells and feed in spring as growth gets underway. An annual mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost will help retain moisture and improve the soil, but keep it clear of the crown itself.

Top Tip
Remove any flower stems as soon as they appear. This helps the plant put its energy into developing strong stems and building up the crown rather than producing flowers and seed.

When to Harvest
‘Timperley Early’ lives up to its name and is one of the first rhubarbs of the season. Established plants can start producing harvestable stems very early in the year, with timing depending on your growing conditions. Forcing an established crown can bring the harvest forward even further.

Give New Plants Time
Avoid harvesting newly planted crowns during their first growing season so they can establish a strong root system. In the second year, harvest only a few stems. Once plants are well established, you can harvest more freely, while always leaving plenty of healthy stems and foliage.

How to Pick Rhubarb
Harvest the strongest, well-developed stems by holding each stalk close to its base and pulling firmly with a gentle twist. The stalk should come cleanly away from the crown rather than needing to be cut.

When to Stop
Finish your main harvest by early summer so the remaining foliage can continue feeding the crown and building up reserves for the following year.

Top Tip
Don't wait for every stem to reach the same size before you start picking. Harvest well-developed stems as they're ready, leaving smaller ones to continue growing.

Made for Forcing
‘Timperley Early’ is one of the best-known varieties for forcing. Forcing simply means covering an established crown to exclude light, encouraging it to produce an extra-early crop of tender stems.

How to Force Your Rhubarb
In winter, cover a strong, established crown with a traditional rhubarb forcer or a tall upturned container that completely excludes the light. The stems will grow towards the darkness and can be ready to pick several weeks earlier than an uncovered crop.

Sweeter, Tender Stems
As well as bringing the harvest forward, forcing changes the stems themselves. With little or no light they develop less green colouring, producing particularly tender, pink stems with a sweeter flavour.

Give the Crown Time to Recover
Forcing uses some of the plant's stored reserves, so don't force newly planted rhubarb or the same crown every year. After harvesting, remove the cover and allow the plant to grow normally and rebuild its strength.

Top Tip
Growing more than one ‘Timperley Early’ plant lets you rotate which crown you force. Force one established crown for an extra-early crop, then give it time to recover while another takes its turn the following year.

First Rhubarb of the Season
Few things beat the first homegrown rhubarb of the year. ‘Timperley Early’ is ideal for crumbles, pies and compotes, while the particularly tender stems from a forced crop need very little cooking.

Save Some for Later
Rhubarb freezes well if you have more than you can use at once. Wash and trim the stalks, cut them into pieces and freeze them ready for cooking later in the year.

Remove the Leaves
Only the stalks are edible. Remove and discard the leaves after harvesting, as rhubarb leaves should not be eaten.

Rhubarb Crowns
Choose crowns if you prefer to plant rhubarb while it is dormant. Your collection will contain three dormant crowns, carefully packaged and ready to plant. They may have little or no visible top growth when they arrive – this is completely normal. Crowns are despatched from November.

Potted Rhubarb Plants
Choose potted plants for established young rhubarb plants already growing in nursery pots. Your collection will contain three potted plants, ready to plant straight into their final positions on arrival. Depending on the time of year, they may already have leaves and stems. Potted plants are despatched from April.

What to Expect Through the Seasons
Rhubarb is a hardy herbaceous perennial, so its appearance naturally changes throughout the year. Plants grow strongly through spring and early summer before the foliage dies back later in the year. The crowns remain dormant through winter before producing fresh new growth the following spring.

Can't Plant Your Crowns Straight Away?
Keep them somewhere cool and keep the roots moist, but don't leave them stored for longer than necessary. Plant as soon as conditions allow, avoiding frozen or waterlogged ground.