How to Grow Rhubarb

Where Should I Grow Rhubarb?

When preparing to plant rhubarb you have a couple of choices for placement. You can pick an area in your veggie garden or plant the crowns in individual areas where they can live undisturbed for many years to come. If you do decide to put rhubarb in the vegetable garden, it’s a good idea to plant it along the edge or in the corners so that it’s easy to work around with a tiller without disrupting the plants. Rhubarb prefers cooler weather condition, so keep that in mind when picking its long-term place.

Rhubarb requires temperature levels listed below 5 \u00b0 C to break inactivity and trigger spring development. Shaded areas are fantastic and growing rhubarb is an excellent way to fill in those locations of your yard or garden.

How Do I Plant Rhubarb?

Take the time to prepare the planting areas. Dig the soil well, including changes like manure, garden compost or peat moss and weed the location completely. Rhubarb is available in crowns and need to be planted a minimum of two feet apart. Space the rows at least three feet apart so you have some working space in between the rows if you prepare on growing rows of rhubarb. Each individual plant needs around a square yard of space.

It’s best to plant rhubarb as early in the season as possible. You can find crowns at the greenhouse or garden. Plant the crowns no much deeper than two inches. Make sure to water well after planting to ensure the roots have enough wetness to establish themselves. Mulching around the plants helps keep the ground consistently wet and aids in weed control.

When your rhubarb plants are established and strong you might dig and divide them every three to 4 years. Divide when plants are inactive in early spring or in the fall in warmer areas.

How Do I Gather Rhubarb?

During the first year, withstand the temptation to gather the stems, in order to allow the rhubarb plants to become appropriately developed. To harvest, pull each rhubarb stalk from the base of the stem and twist them away from the crown or utilize a knife to cut the stalk at the base of the plant.

Rhubarb Leaves Are Poisonous

One crucial thing to note about rhubarb: the leaves of the plant are poisonous and need to never be eaten. Trim the leaves from the stems and add them to your garden compost.