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Will rhubarb contain raspberries?

 
Mike Haasl
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I've heard that rhubarb plants form a rhizome barrier that will keep grass from invading your garden.  I just planted some raspberries in my food forest that I want to keep in a 4' clump.  Does anyone know if rhubarb would have a chance at keeping the raspberries contained?  I have plenty of rhubarb that I can split.  I'm thinking a plant every 8-12" along the battle lines.  Thoughts?

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Chris Kott
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I have a hard time believing that anything will contain raspberries. But this sounds like it might work.

I don't know about their containment ability, but my grandmother used to grow currants at the feet of her raspberry canes, as they appreciated the shade. I know also that some people use comfrey in exactly the method you're describing, as a containment plant.

I would say try it. The rhubarb will also appreciate the shade. And then, if you keep your canes well-tended and you harvest strategically, your rhubarb harvest will indeed contain raspberries, at least when they're in season.

-CK

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Mike Haasl
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I've also heard comfrey will do the trick, but I don't want to spread my comfrey too much before I really get to know it.  I have 12 rhubarb plants currently and they aren't quite enough.  So on that front, it's a win win.

I'll give it a shot unless anyone else has tried it and failed?

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Skandi Rogers
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Won't rhubarb just totally shade out the raspberries? Mine gets taller than my raspberries and is certainly more vigorous. Perhaps you guys have mammoth raspberries, I was just reading chris's post about currants at the foot of raspberries.. yeah my current bushes are way bigger than the raspberries!
 
Christopher Shepherd
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I put rhubarb at the end of a raspberry plot and they keep coming up through the rhubarb.  They act like a weed around our rhubarb choking it out.  I have found only shade gets rid of raspberries at our farm.

The best place to pray for a good crop is at the end of a hoe!

 
Mike Haasl
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Skandi, our rhubarb is about 2.5-3 feet tall and our raspberries are about 4-5 feet tall.  So that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks Christopher, that's helpful and unfortunate!  Maybe I'll skip the whole idea and spend my time putting an underground barrier in place instead...

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C. Letellier
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I wish I had that problem.  

Country oriented nerd with primary interests in alternate energy in particular solar. Dabble in gardening, trees, cob, soil building and a host of others.

 
Carla Burke
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I'd never even THOUGHT of using rhubarb as a containment system! What a beautiful, tasty, permie solution!! I'll be checking back to see how this goes!

The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance.~Ben Franklin

 
Mike Barkley
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I've heard that rhubarb plants form a rhizome barrier that will keep grass from invading your garden.  



I'm not so sure about that. My rhubarbs have grass growing around them. Not lawn grass but a wild pioneer plant. And strawberries. And a tomato plant, although that is barely alive.

Argue for your limitations and they are yours forever.

 
Mike Haasl
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Sorry, I meant to say that a line of rhubarb could act as a rhizome barrier to keep grass from crossing the line from one side to the other.  I heard about it from Edible Acres (youtube channel), primarily in reference to comfrey.

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