Rhubarb

Popular Rhubarb Varieties

‘Victoria’ – Oldest heirloom variety. Produces large pinkish-red stalks.

‘Winter wonders’ – Stems are green in summer and red in winter. Cold tolerant that produces after many other varieties have gone dormant.

‘Ever Red‘ – Year-round producing. Stalks remain red all year round.

‘Wandin Red‘ – Hardy year-round producing rhubarb with red stalks.

‘Next Generation‘  – Hybrid with bright red stalks. Easy to grow all year round.

When to Plant Rhubarb

Rhubarb is best planted from Autumn to Spring. Plants can go dormant during winter in very cold locations.

How to Grow Rhubarb

• Choose a sunny location that will be available as a long-term home for the Rhubarb. Rhubarb will need a bit of space so choose a location that is roughly 1m per plant although you can plant multiple plants a little closer. Rhubarb can overshadow surrounding plants.
• Dig in compost and composted manure to feed the soil.
• Plant roots or seedlings at least 0.5m apart as the leaves will grow large. If planting from a root ball ensure the eye or parts where the leaves will come out from is just above the surface.
• Add mulch to keep retain moisture.

Care/ Maintenance

For abundant harvests, you can feed Rhubarb every 2-3 weeks with liquid fertilizer over Spring and Summer. Rhubarb may go dormant over winter so you can stop feeding and stop harvesting. Mature Rhubarb plants may send up large flowers on a stalk. These suck all the plant energy and as Rhubarb is easily propagated from splitting the plant the seeds are not really necessary. Rhubarb seeds will not grow true to type so the results may be varied. It is recommended to cut the flower off as you see it forming (unless you want to try and save the seeds).

Pests / Disease

Slugs and snails may eat young seedlings. Use natural pest management.

How/ When to Harvest

The best time to harvest Rhubarb is once the plants are mature enough to support their growth and can handle having stems removed. This is usually best to wait 1 year after planting. Remove one or two outer stalks from each plant. Hold the stalk near the base and gently pull and twist to remove the stalk. Do not cut the stalks as the small remaining piece may rot and cause disease to the plant. Remove the leaves as just the stalk is edible.

Reproducing

Wait until the plants are mature and have many stalkings forming from the main crown. It is best to split the plants every 3-4 years to reset and renew the plant. Split your Rhubarb in early Spring before the new growth has started. Dig up the whole plant and using a clean, sharp knife cut the main root ball into sections. Ensure each section has at least one bud or point where new leaves will form from. Place the root sections back in the soil to regrow new plants.

Cooking and Using Rhubarb

Rhubarb stalks can be eaten raw or used in baking.

Rhubarb pairs well with: Apple, lemon, orange, yoghurt, cheese, butter, cream, vanilla, strawberries, honey, mint, sugar, custard, ginger,

Rhubarb ideas:

• Pies and tarts
• Rhubarb crumble
• Cakes and baking
• Rhubarb jam
• Fruit leather
• Syrups
• Sauce
• Liqueur
• Stewed
• Candied

NOTE: Rhubarb leaves are poisonous.

Preserving the Harvest

Rhubarb can be easily preserved to use throughout the year.

• Stewed and frozen
• Canned
• Pickles and ferment
• Dehydrated fruit leather
• Jams and chutney

Rhubarb Posts

Rhubarb Crumble Slice

Deliciously sweet, and tart Rhubarb Crumble Slice with hidden garden greens. This…

Previous Feature Plants