Veggie
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Most of us know about forcing early rhubarb by covering the plant to exclude light, forcing the stalks to grow long and pale in their search for light.
Chicory is another one - old leaves cur down and plant kept in the dark to grow its pale, sweet chicons.
I've never tried this technique but there must be other plants that can be forced in this way for an early crop?
I'm experimenting with lovage, covered with a bucket, to see if it will grow longer stalks with a milder taste than the fresh ones - more like celery.
Which reminds me  we wrap celery and cardoons to exclude light and stay pale and interesting, and earth up leeks and salad onions for longer white stems.
I've also read about dandelions being grown in the dark for salad leaves. .........and, of course, mung bean sprouts are grown in the dark to stay white.
Any other plants?
Have you tried it? Success or failure?
The Moneyless Chicken says:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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Vinny
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Vinny
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I tried Sea kale which was fine until I took the bucket off then the blasted pigeons annihilated what was left.
" Eat your food as your medicines, otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food" Steve Jobs
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JJB
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Only rhubarb in an old dustbin but the lid kept blowing off. As I'm not too fond of rhubarb and it's only P who eats it, I wasn't too bothered
Gardening is an excuse not to do housework
Greetings from Salisbury
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Small chilli
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Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready.
Builder that would like to go play in the garden.
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Can the Man
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(05-02-2021, 07:34 PM)Small chilli Wrote: Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready. I agree with SC
Coffee keeps me busy until it’s acceptable to drink whiskey.
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Proserpina
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I tried covering some dandelions to blanch them, but it was when I was living in Grimsby and it was so windy all the time that I just couldn't keep them covered. Every time I went outside, the cover would be halfway down the garden!
I think I could fancy forcing rhubarb if I had a big enough garden to have multiple rhubarb plants and allow some to be forced, some to rest and some to be used for regular harvesting every year. Hmm, maybe of multiple different varieties... I do like rhubarb! I don't think I've ever eaten forced rhubarb before though, which is probably a bit shameful as a Yorkshirewoman.
Formerly self-contained, but expanding my gardening horizons beyond pots!
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Vinny
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Vinny
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(05-02-2021, 07:34 PM)Small chilli Wrote: Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready. I tried eating Seakale and Cardoon without blanching it.  Not recommended.
" Eat your food as your medicines, otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food" Steve Jobs
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Bren
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(05-02-2021, 07:34 PM)Small chilli Wrote: Never forced anything. I don’t really get it. I prefer to let nature provide as and when she’s ready.
I'm with you on that SC
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The following 1 user Likes Bren's post:1 user Likes Bren's post
• Veggie
Veggie
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I've never "forced" anything either, especially as its supposed to stress the plant (Rhubarb) so that it needs to be rested the following year.
However, if my lovage experiment works, I'll have something edible that I wouldn't have otherwise. I'd probably be digging it up anyway as lovage spreads freely here.
The Moneyless Chicken says:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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Vinny
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Vinny
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(06-02-2021, 07:20 PM)Veggie Wrote: I've never "forced" anything either, especially as its supposed to stress the plant (Rhubarb) so that it needs to be rested the following year.
However, if my lovage experiment works, I'll have something edible that I wouldn't have otherwise. I'd probably be digging it up anyway as lovage spreads freely here. I think I once tried eating Lovage which has too strong a taste? A bit like eating a cucumber that has been pollinated, very unpalatable.
" Eat your food as your medicines, otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food" Steve Jobs
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