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Strawberry rhubarb
Apr. 11th, 2006 09:15 pmI received the first of my rhubarb orders (Cherry Red from Parks) and potted them up. I'm starting a rhubarb trial at the Master Gardener research gardens. I've always wondered just how different all the various varieties are. I'll be growing Cherry Red, Canada Red, Chipman's Canada, Crimson Red, Valentine, MacDonald, and Victoria. The rhubarb I grew up with was just passed along neighbor to neighbor, relative to relative. If it was a fancy named varietal, no one knew it anymore.
The other question is how well they will do in this climate with our hot (sometimes) dry summers and cool, but not cold, wet winters, seldom below freezing. Still, I surveyed other MGs and found a few who had rhubarb growing for several years. Some folks said give it some shade. Others said theirs is doing fine in full sun. So I'll plant half in afternoon shade and half in full sun. This will be a multi-year trial to see which ones thrive, not just survive, in this climate. Whee!
Along with the rhubarb came, uh, well, they were on sale, and I, uh, well, . . . okay, I admit it, I bought a pair of strawberry bags. They're very silly and probably doomed. It's a tube of heavy duty plastic, sealed at the bottom and open at the top, with a hanger loop. You fill it up with potting soil then stick strawberry plants (or anything else) into the pre-cut slits. So I've got the pair of them hanging in my sunroom. They look rather ghastly at the moment. The strawberry sprouts are white because they sprouted in darkness, so they look like white grubs sticking out all over these green plastic tubes. Ew.
And I have no idea where I will hang them that will be both a) sunny and b) someplace I'll remember to water them. It'll only take forgetting about them once, and believe me, I am really good at forgetting to water plants in pots. My plants are ever so much safer in the ground. Why, oh why did I buy these?! Foolish me. Well, wish me luck.
The other question is how well they will do in this climate with our hot (sometimes) dry summers and cool, but not cold, wet winters, seldom below freezing. Still, I surveyed other MGs and found a few who had rhubarb growing for several years. Some folks said give it some shade. Others said theirs is doing fine in full sun. So I'll plant half in afternoon shade and half in full sun. This will be a multi-year trial to see which ones thrive, not just survive, in this climate. Whee!
Along with the rhubarb came, uh, well, they were on sale, and I, uh, well, . . . okay, I admit it, I bought a pair of strawberry bags. They're very silly and probably doomed. It's a tube of heavy duty plastic, sealed at the bottom and open at the top, with a hanger loop. You fill it up with potting soil then stick strawberry plants (or anything else) into the pre-cut slits. So I've got the pair of them hanging in my sunroom. They look rather ghastly at the moment. The strawberry sprouts are white because they sprouted in darkness, so they look like white grubs sticking out all over these green plastic tubes. Ew.
And I have no idea where I will hang them that will be both a) sunny and b) someplace I'll remember to water them. It'll only take forgetting about them once, and believe me, I am really good at forgetting to water plants in pots. My plants are ever so much safer in the ground. Why, oh why did I buy these?! Foolish me. Well, wish me luck.
