# Forcing Rhubarb Indoors For An Early Spring Harvest

- Link: https://lifeandwork.blog/forcing-rhubarb-indoors-for-an-early-spring-harvest/
- Published: 2026-10-16T15:37:58-05:00
- Author: Bert Swope

## How to Force Rhubarb Indoors for an Early Spring Harvest

You can force rhubarb indoors by digging a mature dormant crown, placing it in a
container, and growing it in a cool, dark location. With adequate moisture and temperatures
around 50 to 60°F (10 to 16°C), the crown can begin producing tender stalks several
weeks before outdoor rhubarb is ready.

Indoor forcing is different from simply covering a rhubarb plant in the garden. 
The crown is lifted from the ground and moved into a cellar, basement, garage, shed,
greenhouse, or other protected space where light and temperature can be controlled.

The method works best with large, established crowns that have already experienced
enough cold weather to break dormancy.

## Start With a Mature Rhubarb Crown

Forcing depends on energy stored in the rhubarb crown and roots. A young plant usually
does not have enough reserves to produce a worthwhile crop indoors.

Choose a healthy crown that is at least two or three years old. Larger crowns with
strong buds are generally better candidates than small or weak plants. Oregon State
University recommends large crowns with a few substantial buds for indoor forcing.

Avoid using a plant that struggled during the previous growing season or was heavily
harvested. Forcing is demanding on the crown, so vigorous plants give better results.

An early-producing variety can be useful, but choosing a healthy mature crown matters
more than finding a particular variety. Rhubarb such as ‘Timperley Early’ has traditionally
been used for forcing, but established garden rhubarb can also be suitable.

## Let the Rhubarb Become Dormant Before Forcing

Cold exposure is an important part of the process. Rhubarb should be dormant before
you bring the crown indoors and encourage new growth.

This is why a fixed date such as December 1 is less useful than watching the plant
and weather.

Wait until the leaves have died back naturally and the crown has experienced an 
extended period of cool weather. Oregon State’s commercial guidance describes rhubarb’s
need for a substantial cold rest before successful forcing.

In colder regions, gardeners may dig crowns in late fall and leave them outdoors
temporarily before bringing them inside. The Royal Horticultural Society recommends
exposing lifted roots to additional cold before potting when necessary to help overcome
dormancy.

The exact timing will vary with climate. A gardener in Minnesota or Ontario may 
reach suitable conditions much earlier than someone gardening in a mild coastal 
climate.

## How to Force Rhubarb Indoors

Once the crown is dormant, the actual process is straightforward.

### 1. Dig the Crown

Carefully lift the entire rhubarb crown with as much of the root system intact as
practical.

A garden fork can make this easier than chopping directly beneath the plant with
a spade. The goal is to move a substantial crown rather than divide it into small
pieces for propagation.

### 2. Put the Crown in a Large Container

Use a sturdy box, tub, large nursery pot, crate, or similar container that can hold
the crown and its roots.

Fill around the roots with garden soil, potting medium, compost, peat-free growing
medium, or another material capable of holding moisture without remaining saturated.

The crown itself should remain near the surface rather than being deeply buried.

### 3. Water the Growing Medium

Moisten the material around the roots after potting.

During forcing, keep it damp but not waterlogged. Dry roots can sharply reduce production,
while persistently saturated conditions encourage decay.

Oregon State specifically recommends good but not excessive soil moisture during
indoor forcing.

### 4. Move the Crown Into Darkness

Place the container somewhere completely or nearly completely dark.

A basement, cellar, dark garage, protected shed, or enclosed growing area can work
if the temperature remains suitable.

Darkness produces the pale, tender stalks associated with forced rhubarb. Light 
encourages normal leaf development and greener stems, which defeats much of the 
purpose of forcing.

You can also place an opaque container, bucket, or cover over the crown if the room
itself cannot be kept dark.

### 5. Keep the Temperature Cool

A temperature of about **50 to 60°F (10 to 16°C)** works well for home forcing. 
Around **55°F (13°C)** is a useful target.

Oregon State research found that approximately 56°F produced good forcing yields,
while lower temperatures slowed growth and warmer conditions could produce paler
stems and lower yields.

A normal heated living room is therefore warmer than necessary. A cool basement 
or cellar is often better.

## How Long Does Forced Rhubarb Take?

Under suitable conditions, stalks can usually be harvested in about **four to six
weeks**.

Growth rate depends on the crown, temperature, cold exposure before forcing, and
moisture.

Don’t raise the temperature sharply simply to make the plant grow faster. Moderate
temperatures produce steadier growth and help maintain stalk quality.

Check the crown periodically rather than uncovering it every day.

## When to Harvest Forced Rhubarb

Harvest when the stalks have reached a useful size and are firm enough to handle.

Forced stalks are often noticeably different from outdoor-grown rhubarb. They tend
to be:

 * paler pink or red;
 * slimmer;
 * more tender;
 * less fibrous;
 * accompanied by much smaller leaves.

To harvest, grasp an individual stalk near its base and pull it away from the crown
with a slight twisting motion.

Remove and discard the leaf. Rhubarb stalks are edible, but the leaves should not
be eaten.

The stalks can be used much like ordinary garden rhubarb in pies, crumbles, sauces,
compotes, jams, or other cooked dishes. Because forced rhubarb can taste milder 
than mature outdoor stalks, adjust added sugar to the actual fruit rather than automatically
using the same amount in every recipe.

## What Happens to the Crown After Indoor Forcing?

This is one of the important differences between indoor and outdoor forcing.

A rhubarb crown lifted from the garden and forced indoors uses a large portion of
its stored energy reserves. Extension guidance commonly recommends discarding crowns
after this type of intensive indoor forcing because they may be too depleted to 
return to normal production reliably.

For that reason, indoor forcing makes particular sense when you already intend to
remove, divide, or replace an established rhubarb planting.

This differs from forcing a crown **in the garden** under an opaque pot or bucket.
An outdoor crown remains rooted in place and can recover after the cover is removed,
although it should generally be allowed to rest rather than being repeatedly harvested
during the same season.

## Indoor and Outdoor Rhubarb Forcing Are Not the Same

Both methods exclude light, but they serve slightly different purposes.

With **outdoor forcing**, the rhubarb remains in the garden. An opaque forcing pot,
large bucket, or similar cover is placed over the crown as growth begins. This can
bring the harvest forward by several weeks.

With **indoor forcing**, a dormant crown is dug and moved into controlled conditions.
The warmer protected environment can produce rhubarb considerably earlier in winter
or early spring.

Indoor forcing gives you more control over temperature, darkness, and moisture, 
but it also places much greater demands on the crown.

For gardeners who simply want their regular rhubarb a little earlier, covering an
established plant outdoors is usually the less disruptive method. Indoor forcing
is more useful when the goal is an unusually early crop or when an old crown is 
being removed anyway.

## Common Problems When Forcing Rhubarb

**The crown isn’t growing.**
It may not have received enough cold exposure before
being brought indoors. A weak or exhausted crown can also produce little growth.

**The stalks are growing slowly.**
The location may be too cold. Rhubarb will grow
in cool conditions, but lower temperatures lengthen the forcing period.

**The stalks are becoming green.**
Light is reaching the plant. Improve the cover
or move the container to a darker location.

**The roots are drying out.**
Water enough to keep the growing medium evenly damp.
Don’t wait until it becomes completely dry.

**The crown is soft or rotting.**
The growing medium may be staying too wet. Rhubarb
needs moisture, but the roots should not sit in saturated soil.

**The stalks are thin and weak.**
The crown may be too small, old, depleted, or 
heavily harvested before it was lifted.

## Is Indoor Rhubarb Forcing Worth Doing?

Indoor forcing is most practical when you have a large, mature rhubarb crown and
a cool, dark place to grow it.

It is especially useful if an older rhubarb planting is due to be removed or divided.
Instead of immediately discarding an unwanted mature crown, you can use its stored
energy to produce one early crop indoors.

If you want to keep the plant growing in the garden for years to come, outdoor forcing
under an opaque cover is generally the gentler choice.

Either method depends on the same basic principle: rhubarb that has completed its
winter rest can be encouraged into earlier growth by controlling temperature and
excluding light. Indoors, a mature dormant crown, steady moisture, darkness, and
a cool room are enough to turn part of the winter garden into an early rhubarb harvest.

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