Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable famous for its tart-flavored pinkish-green stalks, although it’s used as a sweetened fruit in pies, tarts, and jams. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest your own rhubarb!
About Rhubarb
Rhubarb originally came from Asia. It was brought to Europe in the 1600s and to America not long thereafter. It thrives in areas with a cooler climate, making it popular in northern gardens. Rhubarb is easy to grow, but needs a dormancy period to really thrive and produce an abundance of huge stalks.
The stalks are the only edible part of the rhubarb plant. These have a rich, tart flavor when cooked. The leaves of the rhubarb plant are toxic—they contain an irritant called oxalic acid—so be sure that they are not ingested.
What’s wonderful about rhubarb is that it’s a perennial: It will produce for many years—five or more. For that reason, rhubarb should be planted in its own space in any corner of the garden where it can grow undisturbed.
Rhubarb grows well in soil amended with plenty of well-rotted manure or compost; this has inspired some gardeners to just go ahead and plant it near their compost piles!
Reader Comments
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One stalk
Hi! I am new to growing rhubarb and I planted my stalks last year in spring in north east Pennsylvania. I have not harvested yet and it's June. My plants have 1-3 stalks per plant and are almost 5ft tall.... the leaves are maybe the size of my hand but there are tons of "branches" with leaves. Did I ruin my rhubarb? When do I harvest? Thanks for your help!! I have pictures of it...
Weed.
It's a stupid weed and I'm an idiot.... but my butt hole neighbor lets his trees grow over the fence and hid my plant and it's the right color to be rhubarb. I feel so dumb!!! Sorry. I really feel stupid now.
Trees over fence
You do know that anything / tree branch that falls over the property line is yours to cut off. You just need to be careful that it doesn't kill the tree.
Rhubarb
We have a rhubarb patch that is 70 or ,80 years old and still growing good except as the weather gets warmer there are worms that go up in the stalls and come out the side and leave a jelly like substance. No one else I know has this problem. Do you know anything about this?
borer troubles
This might be a pest called the common stalk borer (Papaipema nebris). Eggs are laid on grasses and weeds in late summer and fall by a moth; in spring, the eggs hatch and larvae feed on grasses and weeds and other plants, sometimes moving over to rhubarb patches, as well as corn etc. Larvae are very active and move about between plants. They pupate in the soil around July and emerge as moths around August. Clear out any weeds surrounding your patch, and keep borders neat and lawn trimmed nearby to discourage them. To be sure of the pest ID, you might take a sample of the larva and photo of damage to your county’s Cooperative Extension service. For contact information, see http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services
Tough Stalks on Rhubarb
I live in Oklahoma and have finally got several good rhubarb plants that are producing well. However, the stalks are tough and coarse. I do amend the soil, but not quite as recommended. Any suggestions or hope?
Growing Rhubarb for dummies
Just moved into a new house in the fall of 2016. This spring (2017) I noticed what appears to be beautiful pink "tubors" emerging from the ground. A friend told me it was rhubarb. There is now a plant with huge leaves growing. I have read all the comments going back to 2015 and am still at a loss as what to do. I have no idea when it was planted. What do I look for. Should I assume this is the first spring for this plant? My home was a foreclosure so I am not able to ask the previous owner. Help!
how old is my rhubarb
Since there is no way of knowing how old the rhubarb is, it is your best bet to treat it as if it is its first year.
How to thin out rhubarb plants
Hi can you tell me how to thin out my rhubarb and can it be done now?I live in yarker ont
dividing rhubarb
Dividing can be done in early 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.
How to thin out rhubarb plants
Hi can you tell me how to thin out my rhubarb and can it be done now?I live in yarker ont
Help for rhubarb please
Help please. I have replanted rhubarb in 4 places, the last I dug out my clay soil and replaced with topsoil and some compost from a woodpile area from years past. My rhubarb will be absolutely beautiful THEN holes (bugs eating the leaves) and rust colored leaves and stems. Then plant failure. Help please. I dearly love rhubarb and want to keep a large patch. My plants have come from my Mom's patch which have flourished for years untouched, to reputable garden centers.
Rhubarb recipe
My favorite is to make sauce with extra water. Strain the fibrous rhubarb and use as topping on cereal, oatmeal, and ice cream. Now the best part. Use the sweet tart liquid as a mixer with Cruzan Blackstrap molasses rum. ( not spiced rum, sweet dark and smoky)
50/50 is about right.
flowering rhubarb
My son sent me a picture of his rhubarb and it has a big section of flowers coming through the middle. In all my years (67), I've never seen a flowering rhubarb. Is it normal? Should he do anything about it? The leaves are about 16 inches across. It really has me stumped.
What your son has is an
What your son has is an ornamental rhubarb, grown for its large leafy display. They almost look tropical in size. Lucky him!
I'm in zone 5, and lost mine after a particularly hard winter.
Flowers in rhubarb
I recently read that those flowers should simply be cut out, down to the base, so that the energy gets redirected to producing stalks to harvest.
Dividing plants
I've promised a plant to my friend for a couple of years and didn't know to divide it when dormant. I've missed it again this spring. Is there any chance I could divide it now anyway? I don't want to keep her waitin g AGAIN!!
Wait Till I Take My Nap, Will Ya?
Hi, Robin: It’s really best to wait until rhubarb is dormant or just coming out of dormancy before dividing. That being said, if this were some sort of emergency situation, we would probably try it if we had really robust plants that might withstand the shock. But not much would then happen this year anyway, so why not wait? As a matter of fact, you can tell your friend that we advised you to wait one more year, just to make sure that she gets the very best plants possible, as such a good friend truly deserves! Thanks for asking, good luck, and save a piece of pie for us! We’ll be right over.
Rhubarb
Can wood mulch ,such as cypress, be used instead of straw?
Rhubarb
we live in southeast Va and my husband being from Wisconsin wants to grow Rhubarb. Our temps average well over 75 in summer so my question is how can he grow rhubarb here. we have tried the last 2 years with no success but he doesn't want to give up. HELP
Rhubarb
Not sure if I did this right, but I am from Minnesota and I too wanted ssome in my yard. Last Sept. I was back "home" and my sister in law gve me some roots. They were in some dirt on the plane and we did not get them in the ground or 5 days. After 32-4 weeks I got 3-5 stalks on each root that I planted. They die off with winter but right now they have healthy stalks an the leaves are getting broader. I did plant them in some sunny areas with no soil prep and no fertilizers added. Hope this helps.
Snow on rhubarb plant
We had a 1 1/2 inch snow yesterday on plants that are 1-2 feet tall. Do I need to cut all the stalks down or only the stalks that show possible frost damage on the leaves ? I am not sure what to do. Thank you.
cold damage
Rhubarb usually can tolerate temperatures in the low 30s, even upper 20s (degrees F), but can suffer damage below that. As you know, one has to be careful about rhubarb, because if the leaves suffer cold damage, the oxalic acid from the leaves may filter into the stalks, making them toxic as well. Signs of cold damage are blackened, shriveled, limp leaves and limp, mushy stalks. If you see any damage to either leaf or stalk, discard both leaf and stalk. To be on the safest side, you can cut all stalks down regardless of whether they show signs of damage, and wait for the plant to recover and start new growth. However, some sources say that that might not be necessary. If you wish, you can wait a few days to see if any damage becomes evident, then discard only the affected leaves and stalks. Otherwise, if your plants do not show any sign of damage, and the stalks are firm and upright, some sources indicate that these healthy-looking stalks should be fine to harvest. For more information, you might visit:
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/1997/5-2-1997/rhubarbsafe.html
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/lamourecountyextension/frosted-rhubarb
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=30622
starting rhubard indoors
I bought 4 rhubarb plants, potted them individually, 3 are growing, 1 died. They are getting very tall and falling over, then the leaves begin to wilt, do they need to be cut back? Its still to cold to put them in garden, 4 x 4 raised beds or on sloping hill side garden. Not quite sure what to do.
strange growth on rhubarb
In the middle of my rhubarb plants, there is a one smaller then the others, the leaves are not as big and are wrinkled. In the middle of the leaves is a round thing, looks simpler to a calliflower. Do you know what it could be?
Rubarb blooms
That's a flowering bloom. You don't need it, in fact, it's alright to cut it out so that the plant will focus on growing stalks.
Rhubarb
I have a rhubarb plant growing in a 4x8 raised bed that survived through our winter here in Oregon and is growing very large. This bed will be exposed to full sun whenever it is not overcast or raining, lol!
My question is - are there any other vegetables that would do well as a companion to the rhubarb in this bed? Or, are there any that should NOT be planted near rhubarb?
Thank you in advance.
rhubarb companions
Rhubarb does well on its own, but plants that can grow nearby include strawberries, asparagus, horseradish. Onions and garlic do well, too, and any member of the brassica family, such as cabbage, kale, etc. Peppers are said to do well, too. You might avoid planting legumes nearby, as they may attract tarnished plant bug. Hope this helps!
Protect from freezing?
It's early April , trhubarb is growing vigorously and the weatherman is calling for a freeze tonight. Do I need toi protect my rhubarb. Thanks!
spring frosts
It depends on how bad a freeze. Rhubarb usually can tolerate temperatures in the low 30s, even upper 20s (degrees F), but can suffer damage below that. To be on the safe side, protect your plant overnight. You have to be careful about rhubarb, because if the leaves suffer frost damage, the oxalic acid from the leaves may filter into the stalks, making them toxic as well. Signs of frost damage are blackened, shriveled leaves and limp stalks. If you see this, discard the affected leaves and stalks.
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