If you love rhubarb and are looking to lighten your grocery bill, here's the perfect tip for you.
The scoop
TikTok gardener Jess Gough (@happy.smallholding) shared a video on how to grow rhubarb quickly for a fraction of the prices you'll find in stores — and it's easier than you think.
@happy.smallholding Forced rhubarb is so expensive to buy in the shops, but you can easily grow it at home! Rhubarb forcing is the practice of growing rhubarb plants in the dark. The lack of light and slightly warmer temperatures inside the forcer encourages the rhubarb stems to shoot up rapidly in search of the light. Because it grows so fast, forced rhubarb is ready earlier in the season than regular rhubarb. It's also sweeter because the lack of light reduces the presence of oxalic acid (which normally makes rhubarb sour) in the stems. Rather than the usual reddy green the stems are a shocking pink 🩷🌱 To force a rhubarb plant, place a rhubarb forcer or something similar like an upturned bin or bucket over the crown just as it starts to bud. Make sure the light is completely excluded. Check once a week and harvest when the stems are about 30cm long or reaching the top of your forcer. Depending on the variety of rhubarb you have and where you are, your plants may still be in bud or only have small leaves which means you can still force your rhubarb! Only force established crowns that have been in the ground for at least one growing season. Don't force the same crown for 2 years in a row as this can weaken the plant. Remember the leaves are poisonous - don't eat the leaves! #rhubarb #selfsufficient #gyo #growyourown #growyourownfood #homestead #smallholding #garden #lovegardening #kitchengarden #veggarden #plants #igrewthis #ediblegarden #gardendesign #spreadsheets ♬ original sound - Jess Gough
The video begins with Jess explaining, "Forcing rhubarb is the practice of growing rhubarb plants in the dark which forces it to shoot in search of the light."
As soon as rhubarb crowns start to bud, use an upturned bucket or pot to cover them. Make sure that no light can get through. Check on them about once a week, and once they're tall and sturdy, harvest the stems.
Because forced rhubarb grows more rapidly than regular rhubarb, it will be ready earlier in the season. It will also be sweeter because the lack of light reduces the amount of oxalic acid, which is what makes the leaves toxic and rhubarb taste sour.
"Remember the leaves are poisonous - don't eat the leaves!" Jess warns.
Visually, the leaves will be a much lighter green — more similar to romaine or iceberg lettuce — than the deep, rich greens of regular rhubarb. Similarly, the stalks won't be as rich in color either. Instead, they'll be a bright pink.
"Only force established crowns that have been in the ground for at least one growing season. Don't force the same crown for two years in a row as this can weaken the plant," Jess wrote in the caption.
How it's helping
Gardening and growing your own fruits and vegetables is beneficial in so many ways. Not only will you save money on grocery bills and time on trips to the store, but it's actually proven to make you healthier, both mentally and physically. Not to mention that local and homegrown foods taste better since there is more control over the growing process and less time spent traveling after being harvested. That means fewer herbicides and pesticides potentially harming your food.
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Several hours a week 🧑🌾 Beyond saving time and money, fewer visits to the grocery help reduce the demand for globally shipped produce, which reduces plastic packaging. Plastic is made from dirty energy and can take hundreds of years to break down. Finding plastic alternatives and avoiding single-use plastic, like coffee pods and grocery bags, will help minimize the buildup in our landfills that contributes to the release of planet-warming gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
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If you love rhubarb, there are ways to use the poisonous leaves so they don't go to waste. They can be used as zero-waste slug traps to protect your garden or as scrubs to shine your pots and pans.
What everyone's saying
The fast-growing rhubarb hack was met with mixed reviews. Some felt bad for intentionally keeping the plant away from sunlight, while others warned that you can actually hear the rhubarb growing.
"It sounds like cracking. It's pretty cool," one TikToker wrote.
"This doesn't seem vegan," someone commented sarcastically.
"Wild - I love this tip!" exclaimed another.
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