Growing Rhubarb

Rheum rhabarbarum : Polygonaceae / the dock family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      P                

(Best months for growing Rhubarb in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant crowns
  • Easy to grow. Plant pieces of rhizome or roots 8 - 10 cm (3 - 4 in.) deep. Best planted at soil temperatures between 41°F and 68°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 35 inches apart
  • Harvest in approximately 1 years. You will have a stronger plant if you leave it for about a year before using..
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Brassicas (Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc)

Your comments and tips

07 Jan 17, norman john Chapman (Australia - temperate climate)
1st time Rhubarb grower;1 plant going strong 3mths from a seadling ; good red stalks. 1) when do I pick them? 2) do I break them off at the base as I do Silver Beat? 3) should I grow 2 or more to produse enough for a Apple & Rhubarb desert?
09 Jan 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
To harvest rhubarb stalks pull them down and twist them away from the crown. You will get the idea when you try it. Two healthy well fed plants will produce a lot of stalks but it all depends on how much Apple and Rhubarb pie you like! Rhubarb also make3 a lovely sparkling brewed drink aas well, only takes a fw days in soft drink bottles.
03 Jan 17, Graeme (Australia - temperate climate)
My rhubarb was doing quite ok......only just 12 months old. It is planted in my raised bed vegie patch. But suddenly the stalks and leaves went limp and have now perished. It looks quite dead. I watered it along with the rest of the vegies almost daily. Could I have over-watered it ? If so, would I be better having my rhubarb in a large pot ? The vegie patch gets bags of cow manure and organic each year before planting, so the soil is quite rich. (My tomatoes have gone "feral). Any help you can give would be appreciated. I live in Corowa on the Murray River and we have hot summers.
03 Jan 17, John Mauger (Australia - temperate climate)
Rhubarb normally thrives with plenty of water and manure but doesn't like the belting heat. I have grown rhubarb for years in a spot with morning sun and shelter after noon. and have had good success. if you have digging around the plant you may have rodents eating the roots but I've never encountered that. Sorry I can't be of more help.
29 Dec 16, Sue Burns (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a very small rhubarb growing in a small pot. When can I plant it out into a large tub? It is now summer in Melbourne.
24 Dec 16, Lorrainr (Australia - temperate climate)
Does the crown need to be kept covered?
26 Dec 16, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Rhubarb likes plenty of moisture. Covering up to the neck of the crown with soil or mulch would be beneficial. Trust this helps.
15 Dec 16, Carol (Australia - temperate climate)
My rhubarb is young only 6 months and they are in plastic pots with lids under the pots. Is this ideal or should I remove them as I water daily as we have extreme heat in Perth, They are under a shaded area I have built so not in direct sun
20 Dec 16, John (Australia - temperate climate)
It is really better to grow rhubarb in the ground as you don't want the roots to 'cook'. If the tub is large and not exposed to direct heat it should grow OK. When potting up any vegetable in tubs it is a good idea to line the bottom of the tub with nespaper, old jeans or other cotton clothing. Baby nappies with the elastic, etc trimmed off are also ideal as the crystals will hold a lot of water as a reservoir for your plants. Rhubarb likes a lot of manure so a generous amount of pelletised organic fertiliser, cow manure or blood and bone is beneficial. Mulch the plants with lawn clippings or something similar as this will help retain moisture. trust this helps.
14 Dec 16, Rod Rix (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the rhubarb ripe for harvesting--- Is it when the whole stalk is red OR only partially red?
Showing 341 - 350 of 639 comments

I am from East Washington but moved to Texas. Rhubarb is one of my favorite things and when I was growing up in my Washington hometown, my grandma had a huge, really old rhubarb plant that had been producing stalks since before I was born. And I would just pull a stalk out of the ground, wash off with her hose, and snack on whenever I felt like it. Well, I married a military man, and he got stationed in San Antonio and then he got offered a civilian job here, so we are now here to stay. I would really like to grow rhubarb in my garden, especially because I can't even find it here in the store (and the only two times I have found it fresh in the store, the cashiers didn't even know what it was. I kid you not. That's how rare rhubarb is here, so uncommon that the locals don't even know what it looks like as a fresh vegetable). Anyway, does anyone know how I might grow rhubarb here in my new climate? I really miss it. Thanks!

- Washingtonian in Texas

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