Timperley Early vs Victoria rhubarb
Updated: October 2026
The Timperley Early vs Victoria choice is mainly about season and stalk type. Choose Timperley Early if you want an earlier outdoor crop and may force an established crown later. Choose Victoria if your priority is a later crop with thick stalks. The [rhubarb plant comparison](/hub/seeds-and-plants/rhubarb-plant) shows the captured amazon.co.uk offers alongside the other cultivars. This page focuses only on these two names, because their listing ratings and bundle prices can otherwise obscure the horticultural difference. Neither is a first-year harvest, and no Amazon score proves that one will perform better in your particular soil.
The Timperley Early vs Victoria choice is mainly about season and stalk type. Choose Timperley Early if you want an earlier outdoor crop and may force an established crown later.
The Timperley Early vs Victoria choice is mainly about season and stalk type. Choose Timperley Early if you want an earlier outdoor crop and may force an established crown later. Choose Victoria if your priority is a later crop with thick stalks. The rhubarb plant comparison shows the captured amazon.co.uk offers alongside the other cultivars. This page focuses only on these two names, because their listing ratings and bundle prices can otherwise obscure the horticultural difference. Neither is a first-year harvest, and no Amazon score proves that one will perform better in your particular soil.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Season | Stalk role | Review line | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Carbeth Plants Timperley Early and Victoria bundle | Both names in one parcel | Early and late roles | Own 4.2 from 3 | 5.7 | about £19.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Carbeth Plants Victoria, two crowns | From late May | Later, thick stalks | Shared 3.9 from 778 | 7.0 | about £14.99 | View offer |
 Carbeth Plants Timperley Early, two crowns | Earlier outdoor crop | Force once established | Own 3.8 from 437 | 7.6 | about £13.99 | View offer |
On this page
When Timperley Early is the one
Timperley Early is the clearer choice for an earlier rhubarb season. The RHS identifies it as bred for forcing and uses it as the example in its forcing feature. It also sits before Victoria in the season. The name is a recognised early type, not just a word on the title.
Listing B08LYPQ89N was two crowns at £13.99, with its own 3.8 from 437 ratings, not the shared 778 pool. Those reviews flag delivery, not yield or flavour.
Wait to force until the crown is established. Covering it uses reserves a new bare root has not built. The RHS also calls Timperley Early frost susceptible, which means outdoor siting, not an indoor plant. Skip it for a later thick-stalk maincrop.
When Victoria is the one
Victoria is the stronger fit for a later crop and thick stalks. The RHS describes cropping from late May, which suits a gardener who does not need the earliest stems, or who wants to follow an earlier cultivar. Choose it for that role, not because it is sweeter.
The captured B0BRSYHXNB listing was two crowns at £14.99 and displayed 3.9 from 778 ratings. Goliath and Raspberry Red show the same score, count and opening text, and a Victoria complaint appears in the Goliath file. That pool is grouped catalogue evidence, not 778 assessments of Victoria alone.
The tenth of a star above Timperley Early is not a cultivar contest. Stars can reflect packaging and dispatch. Skip Victoria if you want the earliest crop or future forcing. Do not read Early Victoria, where that wording appears in forcing notes, as this listing. For quantity conflicts, use the rhubarb crowns buying guide.
Is the mixed bundle worth buying?
The mixed bundle B0G7L8YX3X was £19.99. Its bullets describe four crowns, both roles, for less than the £13.99 Timperley Early two-pack and the £14.99 Victoria two-pack bought separately. That headline only helps if you have four prepared positions.
The item field says two while the bullet says four, and the captured listing had three ratings. Confirm with the seller whether you will receive two crowns, four crowns or two of each before you treat £19.99 as a saving.
Bought separately, the two packs were £28.98 and each states two crowns, without the bundle’s item-field conflict. That is clearer, not cheaper. Skip the bundle if you have room for one clump. Other cases are on the best rhubarb plant page.
What neither crown will do this year
Neither cultivar should be harvested in its first growing year. The RHS says to leave a new crown unharvested so the foliage can feed the root. A seller picture of mature stalks is the later crop, not what a dormant crown produces at once.
Forcing suitability does not shorten that wait. Do not cover a new Timperley Early crown to recover the price sooner, and do not expect Victoria’s thick stalks in year one. Weather, drainage and the condition of the crown all affect establishment.
Plant during dormancy, keep the growing point around soil level and avoid waterlogging. The sequence is in how to plant rhubarb crowns. Order for a later season. If you need edible rhubarb now, buy harvested stalks.
Common questions
Which cultivar crops first?
Timperley Early crops before Victoria and is the choice for an earlier season. Victoria is a later cultivar, with the RHS describing cropping from late May. Actual emergence and harvest timing still vary with UK location, weather, planting date and establishment.
Which has thicker stalks?
Victoria is the better-supported choice for later, thick stalks. Timperley Early’s documented strength is its earlier season and suitability for forcing once established. That distinction is more useful than comparing their Amazon star scores, which do not measure stalk thickness.
Which should I force?
Choose an established Timperley Early crown for forcing. The RHS identifies it as bred for that purpose and uses it in forcing guidance. Do not force a newly planted crown, and allow an established plant time to recover rather than forcing the same crown continuously.
Does Timperley Early keep a red colour?
The evidence used here does not support a guarantee that every stalk remains uniformly red. Colour can vary with conditions and development. Choose Timperley Early for its early and forceable role, not because a listing image promises a particular shade in every garden.
Is Victoria sweeter?
There is no controlled comparison in the captured evidence that establishes Victoria as sweeter than Timperley Early. Taste reports are subjective and growing conditions affect the crop. The defensible distinction is seasonal: Timperley Early for earlier stems, Victoria for a later thick-stalk crop.
Is the bundle cheaper than buying both two-packs?
At captured prices, the £19.99 bundle costs less than the two separate packs at £13.99 and £14.99, totalling £28.98. Its item field says two while its bullet says four crowns. Confirm the delivered count before treating the apparent saving as real.
Can I harvest either cultivar in year one?
No. Leave both unharvested in the first growing year so the crowns can establish. Visible stems on Timperley Early, or a listing photo of mature Victoria, do not change that. Early pulling spends reserves the new plant needs.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for this comparison. amazon.co.uk listings were read for the twelve crowns on this page.
- RHS, How to grow rhubarb (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, Rhubarb fruit guide (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, Timperley Early (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, Forcing rhubarb (retrieved October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World, How to grow rhubarb (retrieved October 2026)
- NHS, Poisoning (retrieved October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved October 2026)
- Blackmoor, rhubarb crown note (retrieved October 2026)