raspberries and rhubarb

I have taken over an allotment - I want to transplant my raspberry canes and rhubarb ( only planted at Easter) from my garden to my allotment . When is the best time to do this? And actually an old goosebery bush too!

Now is as good a time as any-prepare the area first so they out of the ground for the minimum of time-if it is waterlogged or frozen -hold off for a while.

Lift without too much root disturbance

It's good you asked this question Sammy5. I have an allotment where I grow Autumn Bliss Raspberries and Rhubarb. Since I first planted them a few years ago they've shared a bed but this year the Raspberries cut out most of the light from the Rhubarb. I've been wondering when the best time to move it would be.

Also on the subject of Rhubarb. I've I'm sure I read that it's a good idea to dig up Rhubarb and let the frost get to the crown. Has anyone else read this and why would you do it?

You don't have to dig up rhubarb-that is all part of the forcing process for earlier sticks-but in the ground it usually fine and you can still force it

Thanks Sotongeoff, I forced it last year as you say, in the ground and got some lovely early stalks. I'm not going to force it this year as I've read it needs a rest and a feed in between forcing years.

I'm wanting to relocate the Rhubarb and wondered when would be the best time to move it. I'd thought that if I was digging it up (I might split it too) I could leave a bit uncovered to get frosted as I've read this is a good idea.

There's two sorts of forcing - there's the lifting the root in the autumn and exposing it to the frost then potting it up and putting it in a cool greenhouse, covering t to exclude all light, so that it produces tender young shoots very early.  You shouldn't do this with the same plant two years running.

Then there's the gentler sort of forcing where, in the late winter you put a forcing pot, bucket, old chimney over the plant in situ, excluding any light.  This will produce early sweet and tender stalks, but not as early as with the first way.  My experience is that as long as the plant is looked after (manured, mulched, watered etc) and well established and as long as you don't overpick and exhaust the plant, no harm is done if you do this every year.

When we moved into this house we had one rhubarb and two gooseberry plants that had to be dug up in the autumn while the garden was re-shaped. All the plants were shoved into corners and left alone for some weeks, and eventually replanted in the new raised beds. They've all flourished wonderfully and cropped really well ever since.

We were perhaps lucky that it was a mild winter - heavy frosts might have damamged the roots or made replanting difficult. But if you move them now before the soil gets too cold (avoid frosty weather) it's a good time to move dormant plants. I should think the same applies to raspberries, as this is when rasps are sold for planting out.

Cold weather will not kill rhubarb - it is a native plant to Siberia 

Dovefromabove thanks for that info about forcing and heritage.The 1st way of forcing is most likely where I got the idea about lifting it. I forced mine the 2nd way last year and just used an old bucket.

Thnak you evryone for all your advice!  I've sort of got stuck on doing other things! But rhubarb moved - raspberry canes - that's a job for this weeekend!   

I think now is the best time to move your rhubarb. I dug up mine a couple of weeks ago as it had outgrown its bed. Got the spade in a cracked it into four new plants. Gave a couple away and transplanted two (one for luck)so i am sure to have one left. They are dormant now and its still quite mild, so move it now before it gets too cold and wet, while the ground is still workable.