This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Sahira Ward 12 years, 2 months ago.
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Welcome to the site Sahira, fine to start a new topic.
Your question reflects a problem faced by many and also raises more questions. You sound a little indifferent to the taste of your rhubarb, although appreciating its vigour. I don’t think that moving it will improve the flavour and if it were me I would dig out the crowns and replant just one or two, as they quickly multiply. Carefully remove all bindweed roots among the roots of rhubarb, and if possible plant where there are no perennial weeds growing.
Then your idea of spreading compost and growing potatoes is good, but you will need to keep removing any bindweed and I would cover the whole area with black polythene, after spreading compost and before planting the potato tubers, cutting a small hole to pop them in, through the plastic and in the compost.
Through spring and summer, remove any bindweed stems which grow though the potato holes. Also I would use a sheet large enough to cover the edges of your weedy area, as far as you can go, since bindweed will otherwise recolonise all too quickly. When potato leaves are turning yellow, cut off their stems, pull back the plastic, pull up your spuds and any bindweed roots that have come up for light, then replace the polythene until season’s end. Maybe plant some kale, salad onions etc after potato harvest. You may need to do this for two years and I have grown potatoes successively like that, with some new compost or manure if possible.
Fair point, which is why black polythene wants putting down when soil is fully moist i.e. now. After that when it rains, there is usually enough moisture seeping through the holes made for each plant, and also the plastic retains more soil moisture. Better a little dry because if too wet, slugs abound.
The tubers develop near to the surface under the plastic and no earthing up is needed. Harvesting is simple because after removing the plastic in late summer, you can access most potatoes by simply pulling the stems of each plant.
Use old fashioned black polythene not the more porous Mypex, which may let enough light through to help bindweed and green potatoes, although I am not entirely sure of that.
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