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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I have a 2yr old Rhubarb
I have a 2yr old Rhubarb plant in Denver CO. We have had a tremendous amount of rain this spring as well as one late, heavy snow that burdened the leaves. The leaves of my plant are drooping and it can't be from lack of water. Will they perk up? Should I harvest those stocks first?
I live in Calgary, Alberta
I live in Calgary, Alberta where we have a short growing season due to altitude. All my rhubarb plants are volunteers which have chosen to grow in semi shade and in the gravel of the back alley. These are very hardy plants which have never been fertilized. They crowd out the weeds (and other plants) on their own. We cut off most of the flower stalks. We eat the leaf stalks when they are young and red, with or without dipping them in sugar. A simple rhubarb strawberry sauce with sugar to taste is great on ice cream.
we live in Wisconsin and we
we live in Wisconsin and we had a good freeze here 5-19-15. Can I use my Rhubard or do I need to throw out this that is grown so far. Due to a article that said that if a freeze the toxins can go to the stems and it be poisonous. Don't want family and friends to get ill. How would I know if I can use or not..??? Thanks
Pat /Wisconsin
I live in Canada, we get
I live in Canada, we get freezes all the time and have never heard of this. We pick it as long as it looks big enough...
We have a rhubarb plant in
We have a rhubarb plant in our tiny urban backyard that has been a prodigious producer despite the environment, weather and abuse. For the first time, in 5 years I see the seed stalks - not just one, but no less than 8 from the same plant! I assume they are all seed stalks, as they did all appear to have flowering-type growths on the top, and 2 or 3 sections each which were "shedding skin." For my first harvest, there were actually more of these hollow stalks than leafed stems. My question is, can we do anything productive with the stalks? Just this one plant produced a good 12+ feet of stalk!
Older rhubarb plants tend to
Older rhubarb plants tend to send up flower stalks. You should cut them all out (make the cut as close to the soil as possible). The flower buds are edible but the stalks are very fiborous and should be discarded. You can cut them up and put them on your compost pile.
It has been my experience
It has been my experience that rhubarbs (like many other plants) flower when conditions aren't quite as favourable as it would like. If rhubarb soil dries out, for instance, when it does get watered, the flower stems seem to sprout up (in reaction to the drought). The plant seems to think it needs to produce seeds that might find another location to sprout where there might be more water.
Sorry, you can't eat or do
Sorry, you can't eat or do anything useful with the flower stalks.
Since the stalks take energy away from the plant leaves, cut them off near the base as soon as they appear.
Sorry, you can't eat or do
Sorry, you can't eat or do anything useful with the flower stalks.
Since the stalks take energy away from the plant leaves, cut them off near the base as soon as they appear.
I am moving in July and
I am moving in July and wanted to bring my rhubarb plants with me. Would you think that would be feasible. I am only moving to the next town. I live in ma.
Hi Cecile, Yes, you can
Hi Cecile,
Yes, you can transplant the rhubarb. Spring and fall are the best times to dig and divide rhubarn but you can do it in the summer if you make sure you get as much of the roots as possible. Put the plants in big pots and add some soil. Try to get them in the ground at the new location as soon as possible.
I have had 3 rhubarb plants
I have had 3 rhubarb plants for 3 years ad this year only one of them came back. I also planted 4 plants last year and NONE of them came this year. I live in Eastern Tennessee and we had a very hard freeze here last year for 3 weeks. Could this have killed them? I am from WI and never ever heard of this. I asked around because there isn't a lot of rhubarb available here if it was the soil and people assured me they never heard of this. My mm grew rhubarb as I was a child which multiplied like crazy and I have heard of it not come back after the first year but never after 3. Help me out! I love rhubarb and want to plant more.
This is a third year for our
This is a third year for our rhubarb and i was going to harvest it for the first time ever but overnight the temperatures dropped to below freezing. Because of the poison that forms in the plant after it freezes it is not edible i suppose. But for how long? Do i give it some time and pick the stalks i was eyeing before the frost or forget about harvesting this year altogether?
I live in mid virginia and am
I live in mid virginia and am on my third rhubarb plant. All the others died in the summer soon after they were planted in spring. They were in full sun and i think they got too hot. It stays in the high 80s to high 90s most of the summer. So before i plant this next one should i plant it in the shade or maybe just morning sun? Please help me i love rhubarb and this one is a good 10" high. Can i plant indoors maybe? Thank you, Donna
Hi Donna, Plant the rhurbarb
Hi Donna,
Plant the rhurbarb in a spot that provides protection from the afternoon sun to limit heat stress. Rhubarb grows best in deep well-drained soil that has been amended with compost or aged manure. Good luck!
why do you need to remove the
why do you need to remove the seed stalk ? what will happen if I don't? how do you remove it without hurting the rest of plant? I planted my rubarb last year how long until I can harvest from it?
The seed stalks sap energy
The seed stalks sap energy that should go into growing nice stalks for next year. Just cut them of at the base of the stalk with anything sharp.
In the second year after planting, harvest lightly, removing only a few stalks from each plant. From the third year on, harvest stems freely
My rhubarbs new leaves are
My rhubarbs new leaves are growing out of its own stem? like a climer? do not know what to do? cant harvest. Does anyone know why?
I saw a video on the internet
I saw a video on the internet on how to remove the buds/flowers/seeds on rhubarb. I did what they said but every single one I pulled out the whole plant came with it. I could see in the dirt some roots tho. Did I kill my rhubarb?
Use a sharp knife to cut the
Use a sharp knife to cut the seedstalk off as close to the main part of the plant as possible without injuring the surrounding leaf stalks. Try not to leave much of a stub on the seedstalk, which can invite pests and disease. Some gardeners pull the seedstalks out to remove them, but using a knife allows you to control the height of the stub, and may minimize damage to the plant (ragged breaks may invite disease). It is also possible that by pulling, you might indeed pull out the entire plant, especially if it is young (in its first or second year of becoming established).
Is the crown intact in the soil? Or are the roots that you see in the soil detached? If the crown is still there and uninjured, especially if any leaf stalks are still attached to it, it is early enough in the year that it might be possible for the plant to recover and regrow some leaves for it to make food for the winter. If so, do not harvest this year; allow the plant to re-establish itself. If the next year, growth seems weak, avoid harvesting, or harvest very lightly.
Hi there, Thank you for all
Hi there,
Thank you for all the great information. I am new to growing Rhubarb and planted one last year and three this year. My question is, the one I planted last year had a stem with seeds, my husband said remove it as soon as I see it. I did, and have read that one here, my question is can I plant this seed for a future rhubarb plant? I will grow it in my greenhouse.
Hi, Linda, That's ambitious,
Hi, Linda, That's ambitious, but growing rhubarb from seed is not highly recommended, as you are not like to see the characteristics of the parent plant/s in the offspring. It is recommended that you propogate by splitting the crown of existing plants.
If you want to try the seeds, here is some advice: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/fro...
Can rhubarb be grown in
Can rhubarb be grown in central,Texas? In the fall or winter.? Our ground usually does not freeze .
growing rhubarb in Central TX
see my comment about growing it in AZ. I grow it in SoCal and it is doing fine. The variety is Victoria and it is grown commercially in the foothills above San Diego, CA.
Should the central flowering
Should the central flowering stollk be cut back once it starts to flower.
What is that stalk that is
What is that stalk that is growing in the middle of the rhubarb, we have had the plant for 4 years now and never seen this before
is it like a round bulb of
is it like a round bulb of some sort growing in the middle of everything? i have it this year (about 4th year) and never saw it before. if you learn what it is, please write me. thank you.
Yes, that is the flower
Yes, that is the flower stalk. It should be cut back to the base as low as possible without damaging the rest of the plant.
Congratulations, your rhubarb
Congratulations, your rhubarb has matured! That is the flower stalk. It should be cut back to the base as low as possible without damaging the rest of the plant. You can do it now without waiting for flowers.
I planted some Heirloom
I planted some Heirloom Victoria Rhubarb seeds in spring of last year, 2013. How long do I have to wait until the stalks are safe to eat? I also planted an Heirloom Victoia Rhubarb seedling I got from a store. It is at least 1 year old now and beginning to flower. I know I need to remove the flower but does the flower indicate that the plant is mature enough to eat?
Thanks
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