Home

Rhubarb

PrintPrintEmailEmail
Leave a comment
Your rating: None Average: 4.5 of 5 (13 votes)

Botanical name: Rheum rhabarbarum

Plant type: Fruit

Sun exposure: Full Sun

Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable, though it is generally used as a fruit in desserts and jams. You only eat the stalks, which have a rich tart flavor. The leaves of this plant are poisonous, so be sure that they are not ingested. Rhubarb is easy to grow, but needs cool weather to thrive.

Planting

  • Before planting, eliminate all perennial weeds.
  • Choose a site that is well-drained, fertile, and preferably in full sunlight. It does best where the average temperature falls below 40ºF in the winter and below 75ºF in the summer.
  • Plant rhubarb roots (not seeds) in early spring well before the first light frost so that root development may take place.
  • Dig large bushel basket-size holes. Space rhubarb plants about 4 feet apart and plant the roots 1 to 2 inches below the surface of the soil.
  • Be sure to mix compost, rotted manure, or anything high in organic matter in the soil. Rhubarb plants are heavy feeders and need this organic matter. Don't add a chemical fertilizer when planting rhubarb or during the first year of growth. Direct contact with nitrates can kill your rhubarb plants.

Care

  • Mulch generously with a heavy layer of straw and cow manure to provide nutrients for the plant, retain moisture, and discourage weeds.
  • Water your plant well. It needs sufficient moisture during the summer.
  • Remove seed stalks as soon as they appear.
  • After the first spring, apply a light sprinkling of a high-nitrogen fertilizer (25-3-3 or 10-6-4) when the ground is thawing or has just thawed, so that the fertilizer will go into the ground and not harm the roots.
  • Insects and diseases won't bother rhubarb plants as long as you keep the plants weed-free.
  • Dig and split rhubarb roots every 3 to 4 years.

Pests

  • Crown rot

Harvest/Storage

  • Do not harvest any stalks during the first growing season so that your plants can become established.
  • Harvest the stalks when they are 12 to 18 inches long. Usually after 3 years, the harvest period runs 8 to 10 weeks long. If the stalks become thin, stop harvesting; this means the plant's food reserves are low.
  • Grab the base of the stalk and pull it away from the plant with a gentle twist. If this doesn't work, you can cut the stalk at the base. Be sure the discard of the leaves!
  • Always leave at least 2 stalks per plant to ensure continued production. You may have a bountiful harvest for up to 20 years without having to replace your rhubarb plants.

Recommended Varieties

  • Red rhubarb varieties, which are more tender. Some include 'Valentine', 'Crimson Cherry', and 'Canada Red'.

Recipes

Wit & Wisdom

Rhubarb has many other uses, from medicinal to cosmetic. See how to naturally lightening your hair with rhubarb. 

Comments

By Crystael on May 20

loved all the info I found here. I inherited 3 bushes of rhubarb when we bought our house in Mich. Hopefully me transplanting and spreading them this fall wont hurt them :(

By Anonymous on May 19

My son tried to harvest my rhubarb by cutting all of the stalks at the base with a knife. Will it survive?

By Anonymous on May 18

I just moved into a house in Iowa that has six rhubarb plants in the back yard. They are in partial shade in the afternoon. Almost all of the plants have yellow leaves. It hasn't rained in several days and I have not watered them at all. (I just discovered they were there this week.) Are the yellow leaves from being dry or do I need to fertilize them? They have been totally neglected for at least two years.

By Anonymous on May 18

I dug out the hard stock that had started to come up on my rhubarb plants (I presume that was the seed stock) and now I have about a dozen tiny thin stalks coming up instead of the usual thick stalks. It kind of looks like it has reverted to first year growth. Any suggestions about what I should do? I presume it would be best to not pick all these small stalks but I hate the thought of not having the rhubarb!!

By Anonymous on May 14

When is the best time to transport Rhubarb from one place to another . Bloomville NY.

By Almanac Staff on May 16

The best time to dig up and transplant rhubarb is in the early spring, just before new growth starts. Some gardeners prefer the autumn because the plants are dormant.

By Anonymous on May 14

I have rhubarb plants in a sunny place but the space is 2 feet wide with the driveway on one side and the neighbors yard on the other. The neighbor has a lawn service spray the yard. Is this harmfull for us to eat the rhubarb with the chemicals so close to the plants?

By Anonymous on May 11

I can't find a site telling how to freeze rhubarb.

By Anonymous on May 13

Freezing Rhubarb is very easy. Bring it in and rinse it under cold water. Never let your rhubarb set in water. Pat dry and cut rhubarb into 1 inch chunks. I put mine into a quart size freezer bag which is 3 cups and freeze. I never add sugar or anything.Date bags before freezing but it last a long time in the freezer. ENJOY!!!

By Anonymous on May 9

made a pie with 5 1/2 cups of rhubarb and 1/2 cup of sugar. Very bland.. I like it tartttt. I live in New Mexico. This is the second batch of roots I tried with same flavor.

By richard h. green on May 21

Add strawberries one cup strawberries 3 cups rubbarb. 1.5 cups sugar

By richard h. green on May 21

Add strawberries one cup strawberries 3 cups rubbarb. 1.5 cups sugar

By Anonymous on May 7

Second year in after planting. This year I have giant green stalks with what look like big bolbous seed pods. Shoul I remove these?

By Almanac Staff on May 10

The seed stalk and flowers should be cut out as soon as they start forming. They will take energy from the plant and you will get less rhubarb to harvest.

By Anonymous on May 4

I have been wanting to grow my own for years, but can't seem to find anyone in the area who is thinning out their rhubarb plants. Laurie/Davenport,IA

By Anonymous on May 16

Laurie, just buy some rhubarb starts. You can find them at any garden center and they are not expensive.

By Anonymous on May 4

I have a few plants and I would like to move on to a better location. It is the beginning of May in Michigan. Can I do this transplanting now?

By Almanac Staff on May 10

Early spring before the stalks start growing is best for transplanting. Fall, after the stalks start yellowing, is also a good time to transplant.

By Anonymous

My rhubarb has come up for the 7th year in pots on my balcony in Italy!! I am thrilled to have it in this hot climate (and I grew it from seeds!) but this year, one plant has a hard thick stock coming up. What should I do? I know I can't eat that but what about the shoots coming out of it and how do I eliminate the hard stock for next year?

By Anonymous

Where are you located? I'm in Rome and desperate to find some rhubarb plants but have had no luck.

By Anonymous on May 18

Hi There! I'm in Bergamo which is near Milano. I found seeds in a store (VERY unusual) and started several plants from them. Last week I went into a Consorzio Agricola and found a small new plant and bought that too. If you find any, be sure to keep it well shaded and well watered all summer. It's really a bit too hot in Italy!
Good luck!

By Anonymous

We are a family of 8- I would like to make pies, jelly and have some for summer snacking. How many crowns do you recommend I plant> Thank you!

By Almanac Staff

A general rule is to plant 3 to 6 plants for a family of four. (Some families would do OK with even less, depending on how often they harvest.) So, double that to 6 to 12 plants, and you should be all set.

By Anonymous

I planted rhubarb roots bought at a store in late spring of last year. It never came up. I watered it every couple of days if it didn't rain. I had dug holes and added compost to the hole before planting. What did I do wrong?

By Anonymous on May 12

PLANT ROOT IN THE GROUND NOT DEEPER THEN 2 INCHES

By Almanac Staff

You know that rhubarb needs a winter chill (below 40°F), right? And a moderate summer (75°F-ish, on average). You do not indicate where you are from.
One of our editors did the same thing and had the same outcome. Twice. (Not very encouraging, huh?) Actually the third time was the charm.
In early spring, she dug a much larger hole (a square yard of space, not merely pot-size, 10 inches down), thus amending the soil (with compost, aged manure, and 5-10-10 fertilizer) in a much larger area. She put the hole in a sunny spot, for full-day exposure. And she made sure that the crowns were near the surface--no more than an inch or so under soil. And she watered to keep it moist, but not soggy.
It seemed to work. The pie was delicious!
We hope this helps— best wishes.

By Anonymous

I live inland from Laguna Beach, California. I grew rhubarb very successfully for two years. I had two plants that were in a vegetable garden and planted in the shade of a crepe myrtle tree. Our soil is full of clay. The two plants were Victoria. I did everything wrong. I picked as much as I could the first year and made 4 pies and 4 batches of preserves. I fertilized them with Miracle Grow. The second year I made 7 pies and 4 more batches of preserves. Would have made more but we went out of town in the middle of June for a summer long RV trip. Unfortunately it was SOOO very HOT in Southern California last year that the two plants dried up. They were on a drip watering system but that didn't work when the weather was over 100 for a week at a time. The first of January I tried finding bareroot rhubarb in the nurseries. I found one Canadian Red in a nursery and 2 Victorias at Lowes. Would have loved one more plant but couldn't find one. I am anxious to see what happens this year. Will still pick this year and fertilize because it worked for me.

By Anonymous

what is the kind of rhubarb can i grow in georgia? i am original from wyoming and we used to be able to grow some there, my grandmother made the best rhubarb pies out of and man for the last few years i been wanting to make me a pie or two but they do not sell rhubarb in the stores here. is there a kind of rhubarb i can raise and plant so i can grow my own? if so were would i get them so i can plant next year or start in the greenhouse during winter spring months

By MaggieMarie on May 20

I am also from Georgia, and while I never grew Rhubarb there, my mother-in-law successfully grew it. You will not have much success if you are South of Atlanta, as it get much too hot and dry during the summer months. She grew hers on the North and East side of the house. It will get plenty of sun, but not the hottest sun from the afternoon. The north side because it will get enough cold in the winter to cause the dormancy. Good Luck.

By Anonymous

Don't buy seeds unless you are planting a HUGE garden. If you just want a few plants then buy bareroots from Burpee if you can't get them in your local nursery. Maybe your local nursery will order them for you and they mights cost less. Good luck. California Girl

Post new comment

Before posting a question, please review the page to see if the question has been asked already. Due to the volume of questions, Almanac editors can respond only occasionally, as time allows. We also welcome tips from our wonderful Almanac community!

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.