

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Rhubarb in Your Home Garden
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on growing rhubarb in your home garden. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a green-fingered novice, this guide will provide you with all the knowledge you need to cultivate a thriving rhubarb plant. From understanding the anatomy of this unique plant to mastering the art of rhubarb care, we've got you covered.
Rhubarb, with its vibrant stalks and large leaves, is not only a delightful addition to any garden but also a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. However, to ensure a bountiful harvest come spring or early summer, it's crucial to understand the plant's needs. From preventing crown rot to managing the oxalic acid levels, every detail matters.
In this guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of rhubarb care, including the importance of organic matter, the timing of your first crop, and how to support its growth. We'll also explore different rhubarb varieties and provide tips on how to choose the right one for your yard and garden. So, whether you're planning to start from seed or buying a plant, we're here to help you every step of the way.
Let's embark on this gardening journey together!
Understanding Rhubarb: An Overview
In our journey to master the art of growing rhubarb, it's crucial to first understand the plant in its entirety. This section, 'Understanding Rhubarb: An Overview', aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the rhubarb plant, its anatomy, and the different varieties available.
From its unique tart flavour to its vibrant red variety, rhubarb is a plant that offers more than meets the eye. Its giant rhubarb plant stature and long stalks make it a standout in any garden, while its early crop and new growth make it a gardener's delight. Let's delve deeper into the world of rhubarb.
What is Rhubarb?
Known historically as a vibrant charm from Asia, the rhubarb, scientifically called Rheum rhabarbarum, is a distinctive vegetable that's often confused for a fruit due its tart flavour. In essence, the rhubarb plant is renowned for the rich tangy taste that its long, juicy stalks acquire when cooked.
Cultivated across the globe in cooler climates, the rhubarb plant has been turning gardens into gastronomic paradises since the 1600s. Interestingly, it's also been referred to as a "pie-plant" because its chopped stalks make for an excellent pie filling when sweetened. Besides pies, rhubarb provides the ability to add a unique touch to your bread, cakes, juices, or sauces when stewed and sweetened.
However, rhubarb's appeal extends beyond its culinary uses. With its emerald umbrella-like leaves and ruby green stems, it adds an appealing structure and a dash of vivid colour to your garden. So, remember that while this early crop might be a delight for your taste buds, its lush new growth can also be a visual treat.
Yes, the rhubarb plant is a giant among home-grown vegetables, offering a mix of sour and sweet, notwithstanding its toxic leaves, which must always be discarded before cooking. The key is in understanding the character of this unique plant and appreciating its complexity.
The Anatomy of a Rhubarb Plant
Delving into the anatomy of the rhubarb plant provides refreshing insights. Let's dissect this lively plant structure.
Edible Stalks: The long stalks are the star attraction of the rhubarb plant. Bursting with a unique tart flavour when cooked, these stalks form the crux of several delightful recipes. However, the stalk thickness and taste can vary significantly across different rhubarb varieties.
Toxic Leaves: A distinguishing yet hazardous feature of the rhubarb plant is its leaves. Containing an irritant called oxalic acid, the leaves are toxic and should never be consumed.
Prolific Grower: The rhubarb plant is a hardy and prolific grower. It showcases vigorous vegetative growth. Each year, the plant produces new generation buds right at the outer edges of its crown. This seasonal rejuvenation enables the setup for further growth.
Giant Build: The name 'giant rhubarb plant' isn't an exaggeration. Rhubarbs are sizeable plants that spread wide and grow big, making a formidable competitor against weeds.
This understanding of a rhubarb plant's structure goes hand in hand with proper rhubarb care. While the plant may seem daunting with its giant build and toxic leaves, it rewards well when treated right, shooting up bountiful edible stalks each season.
Understanding Rhubarb Varieties
Sure, let's dive into understanding various rhubarb varieties.
MacDonald: This variety thrives well in USDA hardiness zones 4–7. It is known for its good yield and general hardiness.
Crimson Red: Just as its name suggests, Crimson Red offers a vibrant red hue to your garden, endowing it with an appealing visual kick.
Victoria: This variety is well-loved for its greenish-pink stems that offer a balanced mix of sweetness and acidity.
Canada Red: Canada Red sports big, deep red stalks renowned for their exceptional sweet flavour. This variety can be harvested early in the season with no need to 'force' growth.
Cawood Delight: An easy-to-grow variety, it proffers large, juicy stems.
'Timperley Early': Ideal for forcing; yields tender pink stems in February, and without forced growth, it's among the earliest varieties.
Fulton’s Strawberry Surprise: Boasts strong, vigorous vegetation with bright red stems that deliver a balanced acidity.
It's essential to remember that each variety of rhubarb has unique characteristics. Some may be more prone to bolting, while others might give fewer but more flavourful stalks.
Choosing and Buying Rhubarb Plants
Choosing and buying rhubarb plants for your home garden can be an exciting venture. This section will guide you through the process, from selecting the right variety to finding the best place to make your purchase.
Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a beginner, understanding the different rhubarb varieties and their specific needs is crucial. Equally important is knowing where to buy your plants and when the best time to plant them is. Let's delve into the world of rhubarb gardening and get you started on your journey.
How to Choose the Right Rhubarb Variety for Your Garden
When it comes to choosing the right rhubarb variety for your home garden, there's a medley of options at your disposal.
Varieties like 'Champagne', 'Raspberry Red', or 'Fulton’s Strawberry Surprise' offer unique flavours, colours, and harvesting times. For example, 'Champagne' is known for its easy-to-grow characteristics and yearns to be forced for a satisfying very early harvest with striking pink-tinged stalks.
For gardeners looking for an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity, 'Victoria' rhubarb should be on the top of their list. Once established, this variety offers a heavy crop year after year.
The key is to align your choice with your specific gardening goals and local climate conditions. The variety should not only thrive in your gardening zone but also meet your expectations in terms of flavour and harvesting time. After all, the joy of home gardening lies in reaping bountiful and flavoursome fruits (or in this case, stalks) of your labour!
Planting and Growing Rhubarb in Home Gardens
Growing rhubarb in home gardens can be a rewarding experience, offering a bountiful harvest of tart, delicious stalks perfect for pies, jams, and more. This section will guide you through the process, from preparing the soil to understanding and managing rhubarb growth.
Rhubarb is a hardy plant that thrives in well-prepared soil and with proper care. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a beginner, these tips will help you cultivate a thriving rhubarb patch in your home garden.
Preparing the Soil for Rhubarb Planting
Growing rhubarb in your home garden requires thorough soil preparation. First, begin by diligently weeding the targeted area. This is to ensure that your rhubarb plants do not have to compete with weeds for nutrients from the soil.
The next step is to enrich your garden soil with well-rotted manure or kitchen compost. The University extension suggests incorporating two bucketful's of compost per square yard/meter into the soil. This organic matter adds key nutrients to your soil and promotes healthy rhubarb growth.
Following this, you can improve soil condition by working a good amount of compost into it. Apart from releasing nutrients slowly into the soil, it significantly aids in soil drainage. Loamy soils are particularly ideal for rhubarb due to their water-retentiveness and nutrient-rich composition.
How to Plant Rhubarb in Your Garden
When it comes to growing rhubarb in your home garden, there are some crucial steps to keep in mind for a bountiful harvest.
Choice of Rhubarb Crowns: Opt for 1-year-old rhubarb crowns. Crowns are offsets cut from parent plants and usually come with at least one dormant bud visible. Prior to planting, make sure to rid the planting site of all perennial weeds - a clean, weed-free soil ensures your plants thrive.
Planting Process: Commence the planting process by digging large holes. Space your rhubarb plants about 2 to 4 feet apart with similar distance between rows. Position the crowns so that the eyes are about 2 inches below the soil surface with buds facing up.
Watering: Watering is key after planting. Ensuring that the garden soil around the base of the plant is kept moist, encourages healthy growth.
Spacing and Location: Rhubarb plants can grow quite large so allow a spacing of around 75cm between them. For optimum growth, choose a location that has southern exposure and is free from shading trees or buildings.
Remember that while rhubarb can be grown from seed, it is not the most recommended method. Rather, using crowns can prove more reliable, saving time, effort, and resulting in more robust plants. With mild care and attention, you can look forward to a thriving rhubarb patch in your home garden. Remember to apply a mulch around the base of the plant in hotter months to keep the roots cool and maintain soil moisture.
Caring for Your Rhubarb Plants
Here is a simple, step-by-step handbook on caring for your rhubarb plants:
The success in growing rhubarb in home gardens largely depends on your care routine. Implementing these care steps will help cultivate a healthy and productive rhubarb plant.
Understanding and Managing Rhubarb Growth
Understanding the growth pattern of rhubarb is crucial while tending to it in your home garden. After a healthy planting phase, rhubarb will start to take up a lot of energy. The plant is quite sturdy, and when given the right conditions, it tends to grow and crop well. Nonetheless, it’s perfectly normal to see your rhubarb plant get a little too enthusiastic and start overcrowding its space.
Overcrowding can stunt your plant growth as there's an increasing contest for nutrient uptake from the soil. For optimal rhubarb health, make sure to dig and split rhubarb roots every 3 to 4 years. Do this routine when the plants are dormant either in early spring or late autumn. Always ensure that each division has at least one large bud on them when you replant.
Rhubarb growth is also hugely dependent on consistent appropriate watering. The plant needs sufficient moisture, particularly during hot, dry summer days. Therefore, water your rhubarb well and consistently. Always keep an eye on your plants and remove seed stalks as soon as they appear. This is essential as the seed stalks can drain energy from the plant which could have otherwise been utilised to produce more stalks or roots.
Rhubarb is a large plant, and some varieties can even grow more than 1m high and wide. This means they use up a lot of energy producing their large stems and foliage. Consequently, adding a good dose of compost or organic matter to your garden soil will greatly aid your plant's growth. Your rhubarb plants will love you for the nutrient boost, and they'll reward you with a bountiful crop, season after season.
Rhubarb Care Tips
Growing rhubarb can be a rewarding experience, especially when you see the first crop of vibrant stalks emerge in the early summer. However, to ensure your rhubarb thrives, it's essential to understand the specific care tips that this unique plant requires. From feeding and fertilising to watering and mulching, each step plays a crucial role in supporting its growth and ensuring a bountiful harvest.
In this section, we'll delve into the best practices for rhubarb care, providing you with the knowledge you need to nurture your plants from their first season through to their second and beyond. We'll also touch on how to manage common pests and diseases, helping you to keep your rhubarb healthy and productive. So, whether you're a seasoned gardener or a complete novice, these rhubarb care tips will guide you towards a successful harvest.
Feeding and Fertilising Your Rhubarb Plants
Feeding and fertilising rhubarb plants at the right time significantly contributes to their healthy growth. Here are the essential steps to follow:
Early Spring: Start supporting its growth by enriching the soil around the base of the plant with well-rotted manure or garden compost. Make sure to carefully work it into the soil to avoid disturbing the crown and roots.
Late Spring or Early Summer: Apply a general-purpose organic fertiliser or nettle tea. This additional feed gives the plant a good boost for optimal growth throughout the summer months.
Late Summer: If your rhubarb shows signs of poor growth, add a second dose of your chosen fertiliser. However, avoid using nitrogen-based fertilisers beyond June. These can stimulate new growth at a time when your plant should be preparing to enter its autumn dormancy.
Planting Time: Before planting the rhubarb, clear any weeds from the area. Add a balanced granular fertiliser or about 40L per sqm of compost or well-rotted manure to enrich the ground.
Follow these basic guidelines, and by the second season, you'll have a thriving rhubarb plant ready to produce its first crop come spring. Always remember, for its first year, your rhubarb will need a little extra care and a good feed to establish its roots and prepare for future harvesting.
Watering and Mulching Rhubarb
Rhubarb thrives when cared for appropriately, and key to this care lies in its watering and mulching. Proper watering is critical to rhubarb's health. Aim for thorough soaking, reaching at least one inch deep each week during the growth season. Rhubarb loves moist soil, but be careful - it despises waterlogged conditions. Always water at the base of the plant. This is strategic as it aids in preventing fungal diseases.
Mulching plays an equally crucial role in rhubarb care tips. The onset of spring, usually around early March, is the ideal time to apply a mulch around the base of your rhubarb. This not only helps in conserving moisture but also feeds the soil and suppresses weeds. Suitable mulches can include well-rotted manure, leaf mould, garden compost, or bark chippings.
However, don’t forget to leave some space around the plant when mulching. Covering the crowns can lead to a condition known as crown rot that could signal bad news for your rhubarb. Following these watering and mulching tips should set your rhubarb up for a strong second season and a promising first crop.
Remember that with good feed and plant food, you can support its growth and potentially prevent poor growth come spring and early summer. With this guide, you should be well on your way to seeing impressive new growth in your garden rhubarb.
Managing Rhubarb Pests and Diseases
Good care and vigilance are key to robust, healthy rhubarb plants. Happy growing!
Harvesting and Using Rhubarb
In this section, we delve into the art of harvesting and utilising rhubarb. From the moment the first crop of long stalks emerge in early spring, to the last harvest in early summer, rhubarb offers a wealth of culinary possibilities.
Understanding the right time to harvest, how to store for longevity, and the myriad ways to incorporate this versatile plant food into your kitchen repertoire, can transform your home garden experience. Let's explore these aspects in detail.
When and How to Harvest Rhubarb
Rhubarb, as one of the first crops of the year, is eagerly anticipated in many home gardens. Patience is key for the first two seasons, allowing your plants to become properly established. As soon as the long stalks have reached their full length in early summer, which can be anything from 12 inches to two feet, dependent on different varieties, it's a sign that it's a good time to start harvesting.
Harvesting is a simple process. Firmly grasp the base of the stalk, pull and give it a gentle twist. Using a knife is not recommended as it can inadvertently spread diseases from plant to plant. Plus, any remnants of the stalk can become potential entry points for pests into an otherwise healthy plant.
Once harvested, trim the toxic leaves from the stalks with a knife and discard them. You don't want them speeding up the wilting of your precious stalks. Composting these leaves is not a problem though, just avoid eating them as they contain oxalic acid which is toxic if ingested.
Remember that harvesting continues until late June, beyond this, it’s best to leave the stalks on the plant. This allows the plant to gather energy for next year’s growth and ensures you'll have a bountiful harvest come spring. Following these simple yet effective techniques will undoubtedly support the growth of your rhubarb, yield a great early crop year after year.
Storing and Preserving Rhubarb
Refrigeration: To extend the freshness of rhubarb, chop the unblemished, long stalks and store them in a tightly wrapped container or aluminium foil. Inside your fridge, this early crop can last a good time of up to two weeks.
Freezing: If you wish to extend your enjoyment of rhubarb come spring, freezing is your best bet. Put the cut pieces into a sealed bag or covered container, and slide them into your freezer. This method of preserving allows you to experience rhubarb's unique taste even in seasons when it's not available - just remember to use it within one year.
Pickling and Preserving: For an entirely different variety of experience, consider pickling or preserving your rhubarb. This not only gives it an entirely new flavour profile but also extends its shelf-life tremendously, especially if you have more rhubarb than you can use at a time.
Before storing or preserving your rhubarb, remember to discard the toxic leaf matter as it contains oxalic acid. And as a golden rule, do feed your plant good compost and offer it the support it needs for its growth, planting it into well-worked, fertile soil in spring or early summer. This will help you to avoid any chance of poor growth, and give you the best chance of a bountiful harvest.
Using Rhubarb in Your Kitchen
Experiment with Rhubarb in Your Cooking: Treat your taste buds to something new. Rhubarb has a unique, tart flavour profile that works beautifully in a wide array of dishes. Be it pies, crumbles, or even incorporated into a refreshing smoothie, this versatile vegetable will surely bring an exciting twist to your everyday meals.
Rhubarb and Complementary Flavours: Rhubarb pairs exceptionally well with raspberry, apple, and rose flavours. You can use combinations of these in your cooking to enhance its taste and create more flavourful dishes. And let's not forget the classic warmly sweet-custard with tangy rhubarb combination, a match made in culinary heaven!
Rhubarb Drinks: Explore the world of cocktail mixology at home with rhubarb. Homemade rhubarb cordial or gin, when mixed with elderflower tonic and a slice of orange, results in a drink that is both refreshing and sophisticated. Eating fresh isn't the only way to enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Forced Rhubarb vs Summer Harvested Rhubarb: Know what you grow. Forced rhubarb is slightly sweeter than summer-harvested rhubarb. So, when experimenting with recipes designed for the latter, remember to adjust the sugar content accordingly. As for preparing rhubarb, always discard the poisonous leaves, cut the stalks into chunks, and stew or bake to perfection. Happy cooking!
Embrace the Joy of Growing Rhubarb at Home
In conclusion, the joy of growing rhubarb at home is a rewarding experience that every gardener should embrace. With the right care and attention, your rhubarb plant can thrive, providing you with a bountiful harvest come spring or early summer. Remember, the key to a healthy rhubarb plant lies in understanding its needs - from preventing crown rot to providing a good feed of organic matter to support its growth.
Moreover, don't forget to conduct a soil test to ensure your garden soil is well-suited for rhubarb growth.
And, if you're starting from seed, be patient and wait until the second season before harvesting your first crop. Finally, whether you're a seasoned gardener or a beginner, the journey of growing rhubarb in your home garden is sure to be an exciting one. So, why wait?
Get your hands dirty and start planting today!