Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable, though it is generally used as a fruit in desserts and jams. 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.
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Rhubarb
Remove the tall spindly stalks now. They stuck the nutrients out of your Rhubarb patch. Never allow that to grow in your garden.
Rhubarb won't flower
Is this common? Our neighbour gave us a nice clump of rhubarb to plant a few years ago. That first year it flowered, but has not flowered since (maybe 3 years?). Does this plant require another nearby?
rhubarb and flowering
A rhubarb plant can flower for a few reasons–certain varieties flower more often, and the older the plant is, the more often it may flower. Flowering can also be a sign of stress, such as perhaps was the case when you had first planted it (I’m guessing the transplant was a relatively older plant, not a baby). Warm temperatures may also cause it to flower. Many gardeners prefer to remove the flower stalks as they appear so that the plant can focus on developing leaves and leaf stalks. The fact that your plant hasn’t flowered since planting may indicate that it is happy and healthy! As it gets older, you may see some flowers develop again.
When does rhubarb go dormant?
I have several plants that I took from my mother's house after she passed. They are in pots now and I have had them a couple years now. When do they go dormant and when is the best time to plant into the ground?
when to move from pots
The best time to plant rhubarb is in early spring or in the fall. They go dormant in the fall and through winter. See above for additional guidance.
Harvesting Rhubarb
I have been told that you should not harvest and eat, rhubarb after the 4th of July, as the stalks may become poisonous. I was also just told, that you should not harvest and eat, if the plant has flowered / seed stalks. Are either of these true?
Harvesting Rhubarb
The 4th of July cutoff date is not because of any danger of poisoning. The eight to ten weeks of harvesting has passed and the plant now needs to feed the roots and prepare for next years production. The quality of the stalks usually has deteriorated as well but are not dangerous. The flower stalks have no effect on the plants edibility. They are removed so the plant can use its energy to produce stalks instead of seeds.
Old Rhubarb Plants
Hello, we moved into a house that has 2 huge, old Rhubarb plants. It looks like they were ignored for a few years. Should they be cut back to almost nothing? They already have seed heads on them. Thanks
rhubarb ignored for years
Cut off the flower stalk—not the leaf stalks—at the base (don’t twist the flower stalk; instead, use a knife or pruning shears to make a clean cut on these tougher stalks). This way, the plant can focus its energy on forming leaf stalks (which might be useful to you now!). To help prevent bolting again this year, add mulch to keep roots cool during warm spells. Be sure that the plant is getting enough water, light, and nutrients, and isn’t overcrowded. Add lots of organic matter in fall. You should have many happy harvests in your future!
My rhubarb is in it’s 3rd year.
Large leaves and stalks, overall appears quite healthy. I have almost no red coloring on stalks. Is this normal? Can I still harvest ?
White Rhubarb
Because your rhubarb is in its third year, we’ll assume it’s not just a white variety. Perhaps your plant is getting too much sun. If the stalks are the right size for harvesting, try cutting off one to test, then take the rest if it seems ready. If not, let it mature a bit more.
Rhubarb in container
I am a senior citizen and have had a hard time finding rhubarb to purchase, so last year I purchased a rhubarb plant and planted it in a large pot. I put it in the garage to keep through the winter as it gets very cold here at times.. it continued to grow in the garage! I then made sure I kept it watered occasionally. It now is just producing thin stalks that aren't large enough to break off for cooking. I was planning to repot it. Would it help or harm the plant or have I runined it already? Also would I need more than one plant to have enough to make a pie etc.? Thank you
thin stalks
Congratulations on keeping the rhubarb going in the garage. It must be in good soil in a good place. Thin stalks are typical of a first-year plant. As noted above, it is best not to harvest in the first year. You can repot it; this should not harm the plant. Set it in plenty of organic/composted matter and it should thrive. As for how much would you need for a pie, this one requires 2 ½ cups: https://www.almanac.com/recipe/strawberry-rhubarb-pie-coconut-crumb-topping
You can see more rhubarb recipes, using varying amounts, that might appeal to you, too: https://www.almanac.com/content/best-rhubarb-recipes
Rhubarb not red
Our rhubarb is well established. We moved it once for this exact reason thinking that was the case. The stalks do not turn red and the plants (we have 20 or so) all bolt quickly. Is there any truth to the male female stalks like corn has?
why does rhubarb bolt (go to seed)?
It’s natural for rhubarb to flower and go to seed. However, you can delay that stage a few ways: Grow Canada Red or Valentine varieties; they are less likely to bolt that “old-fashioned” varieties such as Victoria and MacDonald (these are heavy stalk producers). Older/more mature plants are more likely to bolt than younger ones, although dividing every 4 to 5 years, as it sounds like you did, can essentially rejuvenate mature plants. Applying fertilizer (a balanced type, e.g. 12-12-12) or well composted manure in spring can also delay/discourage bolting. If your plant volts/produces flowers, it is recommended that you remove them, so it will focus its energy on producing leaves.
We are not familiar with rhubarb compared with corn, but the stem and leaf tissue of rhubarb can be damaged by the European corn borer larvae, which as the name indicates is a pest of corn, both sweet and grain.
Rhubarb
My rhubarb doesn’t get big enough to eat. The leaves are getting holes I assume from a bug of some type. People talk about flowers as part of the rhubarb but i’ve never had any flowers. HELP!!
does all rhubarb flower?
Hi, Candy. Some varieties of rhubarb are more prone to producing flowers than others. Do not worry about that. The holes, those you should worry about. If the holes are ragged and fairly big, check for a trail of slime–as slugs sometimes like to eat rhubarb leaves. Tiny to moderate holes in the leaves could be beetles, such as the Japanese beetle. Caterpillars, such as the European corn borer and imported cabbageworm, may sometimes attack leaves or stalks. Other pests, such as aphids or rhubarb curculio, make punctures rather than chewing holes. Look underneath the leaves, and at the base of plants in the soil, for any lurking pest. To learn about garden pests and diseases, check out this page.
Rhubarb in shade
We have moved into a home with an amazing rhubarb patch growing beside one garden shed. Within the next couple of weeks we will be building a second shed beside it, which will cast the rhubarb patch into almost all shade. My plan is to divide and transplant the patch, based on your advice waiting until the fall dormant period. What is the risk to the plants this summer if they are heavily in shade probably from June onward? I realize that any further harvest may be compromised but will the plants actually die from lack of sunlight, or just not grow much larger this year and be ok to transplant in the fall. There were a lot of flower stalks starting, which I cut off, but I"m gathering this is an old growth patch and would need to be divided nevertheless. Also in Ontario, how much shade can they tolerate, I have spots that will either get full morning or afternoon sun but unlikely to have full sun all day.
rhubarb in shade
You can definitely move the plants for a harvest next year, but rhubarb doesn’t grow well in the shade so you will not likely have a good crop this year.
We planted a rhubarb plant
We planted a rhubarb plant last year and it looked like it was dying so we moved it. It took off. Did not harvest last year. This year after feet of snow it's out of control. It's a monster. I've never owned one before. I don't remember the variety, green or red but it's red at the bottom and green about midway up the stalk is green. How do you know when ready? It continues to shoot leaves upward. Is this normal?
Normal rhubarb
Sounds like you hit the jackpot! If you have nice strong (celery-size) stalks, it’s ready to eat—but not the leaves; they are poisonous. Twist off the stalks at the root or use a knife to slice them off. Take as many as you like/need; it should continue to produce for a few weeks. Leave the smaller stalks…they’ll get bigger. Enjoy!
Rhubarb won't grow
Hi I can't get my rhubarb to grow!! It comes up in small little stalks about as big a round as my pinky finger. I figured I'd leave it last year to let it go to seed and hopefully grow and thicken up but it didn't even go to seed...it just died. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong or what I should do? Thanks in advance.
spindly rhubarb
Is this an established plant, that had been producing fine but then started to be spindly? If so, it could be that the plant is now overcrowded–sometimes the crown needs dividing every 5 to 15 years, ideally in late winter/early spring or in fall when the plant is dormant. Or, if this is a new plant, does it have enough nutrients to establish itself? Avoid harvesting the first year, and only harvest lightly the second. After those years, only remove ⅓ to ½ of the plant, so that there are enough stalks remaining so that the leaves can make food for the plant to keep it healthy. Another problem that sometimes occurs is when the plant is set too deep (more than 1 or 2 inches), sometimes causing weak or delayed growth. You might also check for insects and disease, such as crown rot. Be sure that the plant has enough water (but soil is not waterlogged); if it is growing in part shade, the stems will be more spindly. Hope this helps!
Growing rhubarb
I'm growing strawberry rhubarb, can't get them to get fat, they're very thin
Rhubarb
I have two plants that my mother brought to Toronto from north of here about 70 years ago. I don’t know how long she had them before that. She had them in her yard and when she died I have taken them with me wherever I move. It’s hard to believe they come up so heartily every year. They are the green variety.
Rhubarb going to seed
We live in Pa. As soon as the rhubarb begins to grow it begins to have the seed heads. It is mid Apr after a very snowy winter and I have already taken off several heads. The stalks are not even large enough to pick yet. Why does this happen and is there anything we can do?
Rhubarb going to seed
We planted 3 stocks of red rhubarb last year. It has gone to seed already. What do we do
flowering rhubarb
When your rhubarb goes to seed, or bolts, it can be due to heat, such as an unusually warm period in spring. Or, it can happen due to stress, such as not enough water. Certain varieties also tend to bolt more than others. When you see a flower stalk forming, you might want to cut it off at the base (don’t twist the stalk; instead, use a knife or pruning shears to make a clean cut on these tougher stalks). This way, the plant can focus its energy on forming leaf stalks. To help prevent bolting, you can add mulch to keep roots cool during warm spells. Be sure that the plant is getting enough water, light, and nutrients, and isn’t overcrowded.
rhubarb
I live in southern TN. I am about 40 miles north of the MS. boarder. I have checked with some catalogs and it says I can grow rhubarb here, but locals here say you can't. Could I grow it in containers? I am from upstate NY and miss having it to make jam.
growing rhubarb in Tennessee
Hi, Carol. In southern Tennessee, rhubarb won’t be as healthy or robust as it would be if grown in an area with cooler, moist summers and winters with temperatures that freeze the soil. You can try growing in containers, but your rhubarb will likely be short lived.
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