Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable famous for its tart-flavored pinkish-green stalks, though it’s used as a sweetened fruit in pies, tarts, and jams. Plant in early spring while the plants are dormant or in the fall in zones 6 to 10 or any other zone before frost. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest your own rhubarb.
Of the rhubarb plant, only the stalks are eaten. These have a rich, tart flavor. The leaves of the rhubarb plant are poisonous, so be sure that they are not ingested. Rhubarb is easy to grow, but needs cool weather to thrive.
What’s wonderful about rhubarb is that it will produce for many years—five or more. For that reason, rhubarb should be planted in its own bed in any corner of the garden where it can grow undisturbed.
It grows well in soil enriched with plenty of well-rotted manure or compost so some gardeners will even plant near their compost bin!
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Hi, Carol, We aren't going to
Hi, Carol, We aren't going to defy a family tradition, so sure. You can also use the leaves as "stepping stones" in a garden pathway. Lay them down, walk on them, and let them decay in their own time.
I live in Indiana and have
I live in Indiana and have put my rhubarb in a large pot in the garden. I had tried it in the ground last year and it didn't grow, so I decided a pot with great soil was the answer but now I'm worrying about this winter, will the rhubarb freeze? Should I try the ground again?
Hi, Jeanie, As explained
Hi, Jeanie,
As explained above, rhubarb does best where the average temperature falls below 40ºF in the winter. So freezing will not generally harm it. However, you would get better results in the long run if it is in the ground, where it can sink roots and live a long life.
As far as "great soil" that you mention, make sure it is really rich in compost, whether in a pot or in the ground.
My rhubarb has been producing
My rhubarb has been producing for over 20 years. But last year and this year, its leaves are very small and its stalks are very thin. Should I be replacing it with a new plant or does it need thinning in the Fall?
Hi, Barb, You don't need to
Hi, Barb, You don't need to replace it; you should divide the crown and when you do you can replace it with one of its offspring, it you desire.
Dividing can be done in spring or fall, but many gardeners prefer doing it in spring. You should dig up the entire crown and remove side shoots while preserving the roots as best you can. Return the mother plant to the original plot, with a heaping dose of compost, and plant the shoots elsewhere, also with a lot of compost.
What does the crown look
What does the crown look like?
Hi Joyanne, There's a picture
Hi Joyanne, There's a picture of a rhubarb crown in this article:
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/438/438...
You can buy one-year crowns at many plant nurseries.
Hope this helps, your OFA editors
Bought a 2 year old plant
Bought a 2 year old plant from catalogue CO. Planted it late last winter now fully grown. When can I harvest?
Hi, Robert, Pick it lightly
Hi, Robert,
Pick it lightly this first season, which is to say, take only the strongest, thickest stalks. Remove the seed head as it is developing; seed production takes energy away from the vegetation. Remember, too to discard the leaves. You can compost them or, as we do, lay them in the path or between plant rows in your vegetable garden as mulch.
Two of my rhubarb leaves have
Two of my rhubarb leaves have just turned completely red and then wilted completely. I live in Kentucky. The rhubarb crown was planted last fall. Any ideas what is plaguing this plant? Thank you!! (It is late May right now).
Oh, Esther, it sounds like it
Oh, Esther, it sounds like it could be crown, or root, rot. This may be from growing your rhubarb in the same place a plant thrived in the past 4 to 5 years. Or it could be verticillium wilt, a sol fungus that exists naturally. Or it could be from poorly draining soil. It's also possible that you have a nasty beetle snacking on your plant.
Start fresh in a sunny, well-composted new location with a new plant. Perhaps a friend would divide one this fall and share with you.
Hi Esther, I moved into a
Hi Esther,
I moved into a house that had a neglected rhubarb plant in the yard. I dug it up and it was infested with earwigs. As this insect is really hard to kill, I rinsed the roots as best I could, then transplanted to a very large container with rich soil. I then planted garlic around the rhubarb, which wards off earwigs. This year, my plant looks 100% better. It had little leaves and short, thin, but ripe stalks. This year there are full leaves and many healthy stalks. And best yet, no earwigs (I checked).
Hope this helps.
When you said not to use the
When you said not to use the rhubarb the first year, does that also apply to rhubarb that I split and transplanted last fall?
Right: Wait one or two
Right: Wait one or two growing seasons before harvesting. This allows the plant to establish itself in its new spot so that its roots can develop enough to support the plant's needs. After a year or so, the plant will start to grow more vigorously, and it will be able to handle the harvest of some of its stalks more easily.
This is the second year for
This is the second year for my plants and they have a lot of seed like on top. Do I leave them on or take them off?
The seed stalks and flowers
The seed stalks 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.
Thank you very much
Thank you very much
My plant is two years old,
My plant is two years old, has 5 stalks and a lot of seeds. What do I need to do with the seeds?
Thank you for your help
Christa
I recently planted some
I recently planted some rhubarb in my Green House and now I find myself a month later with no evidence of plant life. At this point I am very uneasy about whether or not my rhubarb is alive. It is 69 degrees(I know don't laugh) and I was wondering if this was ideal whether for rhubarb plants to be able to prosper.
I think you mentioned the
I think you mentioned the answer! Rhubarb is a cool-season crop. It requires temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to break dormancy and to stimulate growth. Rhubarb grows best in temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
We normally advise growing rhubarb from one-year "crowns" in the ground as described above.
We're not clear how you are using a greenhouse. The only way we could seeing using a greenhouse is if you were forcing the rhubarb crowns to ripen quickly. In that case, you would still need to chill them to force dormancy.
How should I go about
How should I go about chilling the rhubabr to force dormancy?
Here is a great page on
Here is a great page on forcing rhubarb: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/for...
I have some planted and it
I have some planted and it looked really good then a big cold spell came and turned it black. My question is will it still come back or is it gone for this year.
Hi Sylvia, Cut off and
Hi Sylvia,
Cut off and compost the stalks that were damaged by frost. There is still time for new stalks to develop.
I am confused. I started a
I am confused. I started a rhubarb crown in a pot last fall as we're changing to raised beds this year. I have stalks, about 12 so far. Now my questions...
What do I do with the stalks? (1) Leave them on (1st year growth - I know we don't harvest for eating),(2) cut them off now, (3) cut them off later...
Should I wait do this (cut or leave on) until after I transplant them to their new in-ground home? Thanks!
Leave the stalks on the
Leave the stalks on the plant. Food from the leaves is needed to nourish the roots for next year's growth. In the fall, after your first frost, remove the stalks and put them in your compost pile.
I've recently planted some
I've recently planted some rhubarb seeds in my personal green house(it is about 1000 square feet) Unfortunately it is extremely hot in my green house due to the drought so I was wondering if you had any tips on watering patterns, pesticides, miracle grow, etc! Does anyone have good mulches for the rhubarb? I am located at the base of yosemite so my soil should have some exquisite nitrogen content. Any further comments and concerns brought to my attention would be greatly appreciated. Happy Planting!
I wouldn't use raised
I wouldn't use raised beds...the frost will kill the root if if it is above ground. I have even went as far as putting a small amount of hay over the plants when they die off in the fall and remove it when spring arrived
Use straw instead of hay,
Use straw instead of hay, fewer weed seeds.
I live outside Tucson
I live outside Tucson Arizona, In my ignorance, I planted 3 roots, from
Walmart, last spring in a large pot. This is the warmest winter I can remember and I have a pot full of rhubarb, sending up large seed stalks, that I intend to remove today. My plants were beautiful last summer although we had >>100 days above 90 degrees. Is this a fluke? What's the deal? Beginners luck?
I'm thinking I'll dig them up and freeze the roots this fall. If you have any advise or suggestions I would appreciate any and all...Penny Potts Tucson Arizona.
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