Radiant Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a great addition to any garden and can be used in a variety of recipes. Not only is it delicious, but it is also relatively easy to grow. The full value of Rhubarb, from a health point of view, is not fully realized, but quite apart from this reason, on account of its usefulness as a stewed fruit and for pies, a patch of Rhubarb should be grown by every gardener.

Rhubarb is a perennial, and if the ground has been properly prepared and the roots are well fed and occasionally pruned, will continue to yield for 20 years or more. With just a few simple tips and tricks, you’ll be able to grow your own rhubarb at home.

How to Grow Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a slightly odd vegetable that most people treat as a fruit. Technically it’s a vegetable, rhubarb is low in calories and high in nutrients like vitamin K and potassium; which most of us don’t get enough of. Rhubarb is great in desserts from tarts, crumbles, puddings, jam and pie – rhubarb is a cooks delight. Rhubarb is wonderful in so many recipes plus with it’s vivid pink stems it’s a fabulous landscape plant and a stately feature in any veggie patch.

Rhubarb is a cool season herbaceous perennial; the best stem color is produced at 10°C. A leafy plant, reaching a meter in height, with thick red stalks. It requires a cold winter and can be hard to grow in areas with very hot summers or high humidity, but on the whole rhubarb is easily grown.

Where to Plant Rhubarb

Rhubarb plants need plenty of sunlight and fertile soil that has been improved with compost or manure. It’s best to plant rhubarb in the spring when the ground has begun to warm up. Choose a sunny spot that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day and make sure it is well-drained; rhubarb does not like wet feet.

Soil for Rhubarb

Don’t try to grow rhubarb unless you can give the soil an overdose of old stable manure or compost.

Rhubarb requires a deep, rich, light, sandy, well-drained soil, and while it will yield a crop in heavy soil, gives comparatively poor results. As the Rhubarb bed is to last for several years, thorough and proper soil preparation is essential.

The ground must be thoroughly dug to a depth of at least 2 feet, the soil finely broken up, and a liberal application of well-rotted stable or cow manure worked well into the ground. Good rhubarb comes only from an abundance of plant food; and you’ll be wasting your time if you can’t supply it. But, with plenty of manure, compost and plenty of water, you can grow bumper crops. A heavy manure dressing each winter will work wonders.

Rhubarb Plants

You can buy established crowns at almost any time, but in cold-climate gardens, winter planting gives best results.

Plant the roots in rows 4 feet apart, allowing 4 feet between each plant in the rows. When putting out the roots see that the crowns are not covered with more than 2 inches of soil.

Place a tub or an old pail over the crowns in late winter, and cover with dead leaves or old sacking and remove in Spring.

Growing Rhubarb from seed

Except when the plants are grown for commercial purposes, the culture of Rhubarb from seed is hardly worth the effort, and the Home Gardener it’s strongly recommended you save yourself much trouble and time by planting the roots. Rhubarb seed may be sown either in small beds, where the plants are to remain, or thinly in drills 2 feet apart, and the seedlings later transplanted to their permanent position. Sow the seed during Spring, and transplant the seedlings out where they are to remain. As soon as the seedlings are well above the ground, thin out to 15 inches apart, so as to give the roots plenty of room to develop. Where the seed is sown in patches thin out to three plants, and where these are making good progress (about a month later) thin out to one plant, selecting the strongest and most promising specimen.

Caring for Your Plants

Rhubarb must have plenty of sun; and complete fertilizer to each plant in preparing the soil, will pay dividends.

Keep the ground regularly cultivated between the rows and around the plants to destroy weeds until the leaves cover the ground. During the first year after planting, it is not advisable to gather any stalks, so as to strengthen the young plants and thereby to increase the yields in subsequent growths.

Once your plants are established, they should require very little maintenance. Water them regularly during dry spells, but don’t overwater them; this can lead to root rot and other diseases. Make sure you mulch around the base of your plants with straw or grass clippings; this will help keep moisture levels stable and help prevent weeds from taking hold. You may also want to give your rhubarb plants some fertilizer every year or two; this will help keep them healthy and productive for many years to come.

Harvesting Your Rhubarb

Do not gather Rhubarb too soon as the plants require the large leaves to make roots for the next year’s growth.

Remember you won’t be able to harvest your rhubarb until the second season after planting, so make sure you are patient! When it comes time for harvesting, the stalks should be thick and firm; avoid harvesting small or thin stalks as these won’t have developed their full flavor yet.

Rhubarb may be forced by placing a barrel, tub or box around each plant, and piling around it fresh and hot manure. The tub, box, or whichever is used, must be open both top and bottom. The leaves from these plants may be picked until the unforced plants have begun to yield, and providing they are then spelled no ill results will follow. 

When gathering, give the leaf stalks a sharp twist at the bend where they join the crown, and then pull. Alternatively, cut off each stalk near the base using a sharp knife, making sure not to disturb any roots. If you need more than one stalk at a time, try cutting off several stalks at once with shears or pruners instead of using a knife.

Dividing Rhubarb

Dividing rhubarb root: About every four or five years the roots may be taken up, separated, and then reset in the same ground. The Home Gardener will find it more convenient to cut off the outer roots with a spade without disturbing the part to be left in the ground. To increase the stock, take up the roots in late Autumn and divide with a spade, leaving three crowns on each root. Rhubarb can be left in the ground and will return a crop for many years, at least 10 to 15 years.

Rhubarb is an easy-to-grow perennial that adds both beauty and flavor to any garden. With just a few simple steps—choosing an appropriate location, providing regular maintenance and watering, and giving it enough time before harvesting—you’ll have delicious homegrown rhubarb in no time! Whether you use it fresh in salads or cooked down into sauces or jams, you’ll be glad you took the time to learn how to grow this versatile vegetable right in your own backyard!