Home » Misc » When should i plant rhubarb

When should i plant rhubarb


How to Grow Rhubarb Planting Tips

Rhubarb's tart, colorful stems offer a tangy flavor that is typically tamed with sugar (or strawberries). Get expert tips for growing rhubarb at home.

One of spring's garden harbingers, rhubarb stems burst through soil early in the growing season. The tart, colorful stems grace pies and jams with tangy flavor that is typically tamed with sugar or teamed with sweet strawberries.

Rhubarb adds sculptural beauty to the garden with its blocky stems and large leaves. While leaves offer textural beauty, they're not part of the harvest package. Rhubarb leaves contain high concentrations of oxalic acid and shouldn't be eaten. When growing rhubarb, harvest the stems, then remove leaves and add them to the compost pile. Rhubarb grows best in zones where the ground freezes in winter. Plants require an extended chilling period with temperatures below 40 degrees to produce a crop of stems. As a result, rhubarb is commonplace in gardens throughout the coldest sections of the country, although it can be grown as far south as zone 7.

Quick Guide to Growing Rhubarb

Soil, Planting, and Care

A true perennial, rhubarb plants can yield harvests 5 to 8 years or longer. Once plants are established, they don't transplant easily, so choose your planting site carefully. It will also help to start with the best plants you can get. Young Bonnie Plants® rhubarb plants are strong and vigorous, so you're already ahead of the game when you plant. Rhubarb thrives in full sun but will yield to light shade. Select a location that gives plants ample room; individual rhubarb plants can measure up to four feet wide and tall.

Plant crowns in spring as soon as soil is workable. Tuck plants into slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter; blend in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost, or improve the soil with aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics®All Purpose In-Ground Soil . Rhubarb crowns require shallow planting (around 4 inches deep), but because plants are such heavy feeders, you should dig planting holes at least a foot deep. If your soil is heavy clay, you may want to consider planting rhubarb in raised beds filled with soil designed especially for that kind of growing environment, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Raised Bed Mix.

Water newly planted crowns, and keep soil moist throughout the growing season. As summer heat arrives, mulch plants with a 2-inch-thick layer of organic mulch, such as compost, straw, or shredded bark. Replenish mulch throughout the growing season as needed to maintain 2-inch thickness. Best growth comes from using plant food that works in concert with the soil to provide just the right nutrition for your rhubarb plants. Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition feeds plants continuously for up to 6 weeks, plus also feeds the beneficial microbes in the soil that help make nutrients available to your plants.

In fall, when stems die back, remove all plant debris. Mulch plants after the ground freezes, covering crowns with 2 to 4 inches of compost or leaves.

Troubleshooting

Established plants need to be divided every 5 to 10 years. You'll know it's time to divide when stems are crowded and thin. Divide when plants are dormant, in early spring or fall. Dig and lift clumps, cutting roots into pieces about 2 inches across. Take care not to damage the buds on the top of each root section. Replant the best sections.

Few problems plague rhubarb. Crown rot settles in when soil drainage is poor. This disease damages terminal buds, which results in spindly, weak stems. The cure is to dig out and burn infected plants. Don't replant rhubarb in areas where crown rot has damaged plants before.

Leaf spots can attack the plant, with the worst being red leaf, or Ramularia, which can ruin the stems. Cut away old foliage in fall to help prevent leaf spot, whose spores overwinter in the debris.

Rhubarb curculio occasionally attacks plants. Insects puncture leaf stalks from late spring to early summer as they feed and lay eggs. Damaged stems ooze sap and may begin to decay.

Harvest and Storage

Forget harvesting the year that you add rhubarb to the garden. In the second year after planting, harvest lightly, removing only a few stalks from each plant. From the third year on, harvest stems freely. To ensure continued production, take care not to remove more than one-third to one-half the stalks from any one plant during any one harvest.

To harvest, choose stems that are 12 to 18 inches long and reddish in color. Grasp the stalk near the base and pull it upwards, twisting the stem as you pull. You can also use a sharp knife to slice stems from the plant. Cut as close to the crown as possible without damaging it. After harvesting, remove the leafy portion and the base of the stem, leaving only the colored stalk.

Early spring stems offer the most flavor and tenderness; they're ideal for pies. Stems harvested later in the season tend to be tougher, so reserve them for stewing, sauces, or jams.

Stop harvesting as stems get shorter and thinner. At this point, plants are storing up energy for next year's harvest. Mature plants typically provide an 8- to 10-week harvest. In general, expect 2 to 3 pounds of stalks per mature plant per season.

For the best quality in cooking or freezing, use freshly harvested stalks. If that is not possible, keep cut stems up to 1 week in the refrigerator, although crispness diminishes with storage. You can refresh crispness by standing stored stems in water before using; however, the flavor will be slightly diluted. You can also chop stems and freeze the pieces in a plastic freezer bag for much later use.

Rhubarb likes cold climates. This big plant growing in coastal Maine sprawls to fill an entire corner of a vegetable garden.When you see flowers like these, cut them off at the base of the stalk immediately. They sap energy that should go into growing nice stalks for next year.Rhubarb plants grow large leaves that need plenty of time through summer to gather strength for the next year's harvest. As plants mature over a few years, the leaves will grow bigger.This is how a well-established clump of rhubarb leaves looks as the leaves emerge from the ground in spring.After cutting the away the green foliage from rhubarb leaves, you will be left with pretty red stems for cooking.

FAQs

I planted rhubarb this spring. When can I start picking?

The rule of thumb is not to harvest rhubarb the year you plant it. Give plants time to produce a sturdy root system. The second year after planting, pick only a few stems from each plant. By not picking heavily, you're allowing leaves to generate energy that enhances root growth. The third year is when you can start picking rhubarb by the armload.

White stalks are rising out of the center of my rhubarb plants. What are they?

Those stalks are the flowering stems. Remove them as soon as they appear. Allowing rhubarb to bloom takes energy that the plant might otherwise shift toward root growth, which will help fuel next season's harvest.

How do I know when rhubarb is ready to pick?

Look for reddish stems 12 to 18 inches long. Smaller diameter stems offer best quality. Larger, fatter stems can be pithy and tough, especially later in summer and also if plants experience drought.

How do I harvest rhubarb?

Grab stems near the base and pull gently while applying a slight twisting motion. Take care not to injure the central bud, which will yield many more stems in the course of the growing season. Harvest up to one-third of stems from one plant at any one picking.

Can I harvest stems from a mature rhubarb clump all summer?

As long as clumps do not flower, you can continue to pick stems well into summer. Stop harvesting when stalks remain small and short. From this point on, the plants are storing energy for next year's harvest season. Keep rhubarb well watered until frost.

My rhubarb was growing fine, then stalks began to fall over and rot. What is happening?

You're dealing with crown rot, a fungus disease that sometimes attacks established clumps of rhubarb, especially those that need dividing. Once it attacks a plant, you'll need to dig it up and destroy it. Do not re-plant rhubarb in the same spot where crown rot has affected a plant. The best way to avoid crown rot is to plant rhubarb in well-drained soil. Raised beds also help, as does dividing clumps when necessary.

My rhubarb patch is so healthy that plants are crowding one another. Can I divide them, and if so, when?

Many gardeners divide rhubarb every 4 to 5 years. You'll know it's definitely time to divide when stems are short, stringy, and dry. Use a sharp spade to slice a start from a rhubarb crown in early spring, before growth begins. Dig up as much root as possible. Divide the clump so that starts each have two buds. Plant buds 1 inch below the soil surface. If possible, try to leave the part of the original plant undisturbed, so you'll be able to harvest from it this season.

Rhubarb Urban Gardening Vegetables

How To Grow Rhubarb | Thompson & Morgan

Growing your own veg from seed can help save money
Image: Rhubarb 'Timperley Early' from Thompson & Morgan

What could be better than rounding off your Sunday lunch with a piping hot bowl of rhubarb crumble? Or how about a delicious rhubarb pie, summer fool or homemade jam? Rhubarb is an undemanding perennial that’s easy to grow and fantastically hardy. In fact, it actually needs a cold snap in order to produce the best crops.

A healthy rhubarb plant will remain productive for at least 10 years so it makes an excellent investment. During the first year, you’ll need to resist the temptation to harvest the stems. But from the second year, you can harvest your rhubarb from April to June. Here are some tips on when to plant rhubarb and how to grow your own..

Which variety to choose

Different varieties have different flavours, strengths, and qualities
Image: Thompson & Morgan

There are lots of different varieties of rhubarb to choose from. Here are some of our favourites – all of which are suitable for planting in autumn or spring.

Should you grow rhubarb from seed?

A rhubarb crown is a good option for beginners and green thumbs alike
Image: Shutterstock

Like most crops, you can grow rhubarb from seed, but it’s much easier to plant crowns or budded pieces. They establish well, making them ideal for beginners, but even experienced gardeners will appreciate the grow boost.

Rhubarb crowns are established plants that are at least one year old. They will produce a crop in the first harvest season after planting, which is much sooner than rhubarb plants that are grown from seed. Budded pieces, meanwhile, are a portion of an established crown. These can be cropped two years after planting.

When to plant rhubarb

Rhubarb crowns are best planted in autumn or spring
Image: Thompson & Morgan

Rhubarb crowns and budded pieces are best planted in autumn or spring, while the soil is warm and moist.

If you’ve grown your rhubarb in a pot, this can be planted out at any time of the year as long as the soil is not frozen, waterlogged or suffering from drought.

Where should you grow rhubarb?

Find a place you're happy for rhubarb to grow for up to 10 years
Image: Rhubarb 'Polish Raspberry' from Thompson & Morgan

While undemanding, there are a few key things to keep in mind when selecting a place to plant rhubarb.

Firstly, rhubarb grows well in a sunny position with moist, well-drained soil, but it will tolerate semi-shade.

It doesn’t respond well to disturbance so the place you choose will need to be a permanent home – somewhere your plants can grow without interruption, from year to year. Take the time to properly prepare the right spot in your garden before you begin planting.

How do you plant rhubarb?

Take some time to properly prepare the area before you plant
Image: Shutterstock

Prepare the ground by thoroughly weeding the area and digging in two bucketfuls per square metre/yard of well-rotted manure.

Once you’ve done that, spread out the roots and plant so the tip of the crown is just visible above the soil.

When planting rhubarb crowns or budded pieces, set them so that the top of the crown sits 3cm (1") below soil level. If you’re gardening on a heavy, wet soil then plant them slightly higher, so that the top of the crown sits at ground level. This will help to prevent crown rot. Rhubarb plants can get quite large so allow a spacing of 75cm (30") between them.

Can you grow rhubarb in a container?

Rhubarb plants have big root systems so they do require a decent amount of space to grow. But if you use a container that holds a minimum of 40 litres of compost, you should be fine. In fact, you’ll most likely produce a decent crop.

A soil-based compost, such as John Innes No 3. mixed with plenty of well-rotted manure, is best for growing rhubarb in a container.

How do you force rhubarb?

Traditional forcing pots work, but so do dustbins and buckets
Image: Shutterstock

Forcing rhubarb will yield an earlier crop – a useful option if you can’t wait until April for your first harvest. While clay or terracotta pots are traditional (and are specifically designed for this purpose), an upturned dustbin or a large bucket will work equally well.

In January, cover the crown with a layer of straw and then place your choice of large container over the crown to exclude the light. Forced rhubarb stems can be harvested around eight weeks after covering, which may be up to a month earlier than unforced crops.

However, try to avoid forcing the same rhubarb crown for two years in a row; this can weaken the plant. Our top tip? Grow several rhubarb plants at a time and force just one a year in rotation.

Any seasonal advice for growing rhubarb?

Rhubarb needs different things at different times of year
Image: Shutterstock

Rhubarb plants are very low maintenance, but they will produce better crops if given a little extra care and attention according to the season.

How do you harvest rhubarb?

Rhubarb needs different things at different times of year
Image: Rhubarb 'Raspberry Red' from Thompson & Morgan

During the first year, you need to resist the temptation to harvest the stems, in order to allow your rhubarb plants to become properly established. But your patience will pay off because, from the second year onwards, your rhubarb can be harvested from April to June, when the leaves have fully unfurled and the stems are 30cm long.

To harvest, pull each rhubarb stalk from the base of the stem and twist it away from the crown. It's important to only harvest a few stems at a time (never more than half of the available stems), as over-cropping will reduce the plant’s vigour.

The rhubarb plant will need time to build up energy reserves for next year’s crop, so make sure to finish harvesting by the end of July. Don't worry if you find that you have more rhubarb than you can use; rhubarb freezes really well. Pickling and preserving is also a great way to extend the shelflife of your rhubarb.

A word of warning: only the stems of rhubarb are edible. The leaves contain oxalic acid, which is toxic if eaten. Simply trim the leaves away from the stems and add them to your compost heap.

Any problems to watch out for?

Slugs and other critters may find your rhubarb appealing
Image: Shutterstock

Crown rot can be a problem when growing rhubarb. It’s caused by fungi or bacteria (either in the soil or water) and, once it spreads, the disease call kill the plant. The best thing to do is act quickly and cut away any affected areas of the plant. Don’t be afraid to cut into healthy plant tissue – it could save the whole plant.

You may find that slugs, snails and other garden critters feed on your tasty rhubarb. The bane of gardeners all over the world, you’ll probably have your own way of dealing with slugs, from eggshell barriers to biocontrols. Keep an eye on your plants and deal with any pests quickly.

Which slug-deterrents have worked best for you? Get in touch over on our Facebook page and let us know! In the meantime, happy growing! Looking for tips on how to force rhubarb for early harvests, or recipe ideas on how to use up your glut? Visit our dedicated rhubarb hub page.

how to plant in open ground, including seeds, where to plant it in the country and when to transplant, plant propagation

Rhubarb petioles appear on our table in early spring. This is perhaps the very first green crop that gardeners harvest after the winter cold. The juicy, sour pulp of rhubarb stalks is used as a vitamin supplement in vegetable salads, and with the addition of sugar, it is an excellent dessert or filling for pies. Planting rhubarb and caring for it in the open field will not require much effort from the summer resident, while several tricks can be used when growing a crop. nine0003

Contents

What is rhubarb?

Rhubarb is a perennial herbaceous plant of the buckwheat family. In the wild, it is found from Siberia to the Himalayas, and as a cultivated, it is grown in most of our country and in Europe.

Perennial rhubarb rhizomes are powerful and short, but rather branched. Radical reddish petioles with large wavy leaves, collected in a rosette, die off for the winter. Flowering occurs on stems emerging from the center of the rosette. Large paniculate inflorescences of white, greenish, less often pink color form seeds by autumn. To prolong the growing season, flowering arrows are broken out. To obtain seeds, leave no more than one peduncle per bush. nine0003

Pink rhubarb buds add a decorative touch to the bush

Plant use

Young rhubarb stalks that appear in early spring are used as food. A large amount of vitamins and microelements of this plant makes up for the deficiency of nutrients in the spring diet. Stems are used for making vegetable and fruit salads, soups, juices, compotes, jelly and pie fillings. The use of rhubarb in some diseases has a therapeutic effect. It is recommended for constipation, anemia, bile stasis and impaired metabolism. The roots of the plant are also used for medicinal purposes. However, it must be remembered that the use of this plant in large quantities may be contraindicated in children, pregnant women and people suffering from gastritis with high acidity and peptic ulcer. With stones in the kidneys and gallbladder, various bleeding, rheumatism, diabetes, it is better to refuse to use rhubarb. nine0003

For cooking, cut stalks finely chopped with a knife

Growing conditions

When choosing a place for rhubarb in the garden, it is necessary to take into account the size of the future plant, and this is a rather massive bush and the area will need at least 1m 2 . Location - sunny, but partial shade is also possible. Soils prefer light, slightly acidic and fertile. Considering that rhubarb grows in one place for 10-12 years, the site for planting must be properly prepared. For digging, bring in 1m 2 earth a bucket of compost or rotted manure, 100 g of universal mineral fertilizer and dolomite flour, the amount of which depends on the acidity of the soil. On heavy clay soils it is necessary to add river sand.

Rhubarb will appreciate a sunny location, but will put up with penumbra

Dolomite flour is an organic fertilizer that normalizes soil acidity. At the same time, it enriches the soil with many useful trace elements and improves the structure of the top layer. The introduction of dolomite flour improves metabolic processes, increases the yield and its quality, develops the root system of the plant, and also successfully fights weeds and harmful ground insects. The amount of fertilizer applied is calculated taking into account the acidity and mechanical composition of the soil. nine0003

Video: rhubarb - benefits, cultivation, use

It is very important, when determining a place for rhubarb, to take into account the level of groundwater - it should be low, and the possibility of spring flooding or stagnant rainwater is completely excluded. Even short-term flooding by spring waters can destroy the plant. Rhubarb is drought-resistant, but during dry periods it must be watered, otherwise the petioles will lose their juiciness and become inedible, and the whole plant does not develop well with a lack of water. nine0003

I really love rhubarb and not only for its taste and useful properties. In our steppe zone with a sharply continental climate, where +40 o C in summer and -40 o C in winter happen quite often, few plants amaze with their beauty, except perhaps flowers. Rhubarb, on the other hand, looks like a real Tropican to us - huge, wrinkled, lop-sided leaves with red petioles will decorate any part of the garden. I took my rhubarb from my parents in the country. In the spring I dug up a large bush, cut it into three parts and planted it at home. All three plants took off and grew over the summer. The winter was relatively mild and snowy and I was not worried that my bushes might suffer from frost. But in the spring an unprecedented flood happened, and the water came from the fields, since we don’t have a river nearby. Only for three days my rhubarb was flooded, but that was enough - all three bushes died. So I had to make sure from my own experience that rhubarb really does not like stagnant water. In all other respects, he is quite unpretentious and I will definitely put him again in a good, safe place. nine0003

Thanks to large original leaves, rhubarb can become an accent in a design composition

Propagation of rhubarb

Rhubarb is propagated in two ways - by sowing seeds and dividing the bush (rhizome). The second method is simpler and more preferable, since the separated plant will retain all the specific qualities of the mother rosette, and the first cut stalks will be ready next year. For seed-grown plants, it will take 3-4 years for the bush to fully develop. nine0003

How to plant rhubarb with seeds

For sowing rhubarb, seeds can be bought at gardening stores, where there is a large assortment of varieties from various manufacturers. Rhubarb seeds are sown in spring or late autumn, on frozen ground. To do this, take a small seed bed, add compost, fertilizer and dig it up well. When spring sowing, seeds need preliminary stratification - keeping seeds for two months at temperatures from 0 to +5 o C.

In spring, rhubarb seeds are sown in late April - early May.

Step-by-step seed sowing process:

  1. Soak the seeds 3-4 days before sowing by spreading them on a damp cloth and spraying occasionally.
  2. In the bed, prepare furrows at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
  3. Sprinkle the furrows with water and spread the seeds in moist soil.
  4. Sprinkle the furrows with earth so that the layer above the seeds is no more than 2–3 cm.
    5. nine0007 After the appearance of the first leaves, seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance between shoots of 20 cm.

Germinated seeds are sown on a prepared bed

For autumn sowing, the event is held at the end of October or November. Dry seeds are laid out in rows in the same way as during spring sowing, but they are not watered, but simply sprinkled with a small layer of earth. In the spring, seedlings are thinned out and cared for in the usual way.

Young rosettes of rhubarb remain in the seed bed until next spring. nine0054 In summer they need to be watered, loosened, freed from weeds. Several times during the summer it is desirable to feed with mineral and organic fertilizers alternately. For the winter, if there is a possibility of severe frosts, you can cover the plantings with dry foliage and agrofiber.

In the spring, after the soil has warmed up, usually at the end of April or in May, young rosettes are planted in a permanent place. When planting, it is important not to bury the plant, leaving a layer of soil above the upper bud no more than 2 cm.

nine0060 Propagation by dividing the bush

Rhubarb can be propagated by dividing the bush in spring, in April-May, or in autumn - in September. In the first year after planting, do not cut the petioles, as the plant should get stronger and grow well. And later, when harvesting, you should not get carried away too much - you can cut off from the bush no more than 1/3 of the total number of petioles.

Hive division process:

  1. Dig up mature rhubarb.
  2. Free the rhizome from the ground. nine0014
  3. With a sharp knife, cut the plant into pieces so that each has at least one live bud.
  4. Sprinkle slices with crushed charcoal or air dry slightly.
  5. Dig holes 50 cm deep, 80 cm apart and fill with soil mixed with compost and fertilizer.
  6. Plant the cuttings in the prepared holes. On heavy soils, the bud should not be buried more than 5 cm, on light soils - 7–8 cm.
  7. Water the planted plants and mulch the soil. nine0014

Up to 10 pieces can be obtained from one rhubarb bush

Rhubarb transplant

Very often, in order to propagate rhubarb, it is not necessary to dig up the whole plant, but only transplant one part.

Plant part transplantation process:

  1. Use a sharp shovel to cut off the division and carefully dig it out.
  2. Powder cuts at the parent plant and the excavated part with powdered charcoal.
  3. Sprinkle the hole formed by the mother bush with soil. nine0014
  4. Plant the division in the prepared area, water and mulch.

Compatible with other plants in the garden

Gardeners have long noticed that plants planted side by side have a certain effect on each other and not always positive. Some help neighbors cope with certain diseases and repel harmful insects, while others, on the contrary, oppress or are affected by common diseases. Therefore, when planting any plants, it’s a good idea to ask what you can plant next to. nine0003

Rhubarb gets along well with herbs

Rhubarb has an impressive list of unwanted neighbors. It should not be planted next to cucumbers, turnips, beets, celery, peas, potatoes, carrots, onions and tomatoes. Neighborhood with beans, lettuce, spinach and all types of cabbage, except Beijing, is quite successful.

It is worth planting rhubarb on your plot once, and this unpretentious plant will delight its owners with juicy, tasty petioles for many years. Care for him is minimal, and this is a very valuable quality for the ever-busy gardeners. Early greens, a lot of useful trace elements and vitamins, as well as decorative leaves make this plant indispensable in any garden. nine0003

  • Author: Galina Maryutenkova