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

11 Sep 23, Candace Norman (Canada - Zone 2a Sub-Arctic climate)
Planted from nursery stock this year. No flower/seed stalks apparent, do I pull or cut fruit stalks then mulch over for winter?
29 Aug 23, sally (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello, I have a very healthy rhubarb growing and it is gigantic. Leaves are big as elephants ears. I have thick long healthy stalks but they are green. I have slight pinkish tint at lower end of stalk but rest is green. It is about 5 months old and has grown amazingly, but I have pulled 1 stalk and cooked it, it had no taste whatsoever.
06 Sep 23, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Sounds like you over fertilised and water it.
29 Aug 23, Becky (USA - Zone 3b climate)
(i live in southwest MN in the summer and winter in Arkansas. )It’s September and I just bought some rhubarb to plant in zone 3b-4. Can I plant now in September and leave them do I need to stay and water them continually or should I take them back down south with me and take care of them and plant in the spring back in zone 3b-4. Thank you for your help.
06 Sep 23, Anonymous (USA - Zone 4a climate)
Check your climate zone time to plant and plant then.
10 Jul 23, Barbara (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in Sorrento- WA , soil is very sandy .I built up with good potting mix & it's in a semi ,parts of the year spot.I have used good fertiliser but I can't seem to get it to grow wider than my little finger , I keep chopping it back as well ,thinking it will get thicker . It was cut from a friend's crop. Need your help .
13 Jul 23, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try adding manures and compost. Potting mix doesn't have a lot of nutrients in it.
14 Jul 23, Brett (Australia - temperate climate)
I agree !
18 Jun 23, Elaine Huneycutt (USA - Zone 7b climate)
What is the best Friday to grow in zone 7?
01 May 23, Julia (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted rhubarb around 7 months ago, the leaves have grow huge and some are mottled and unhealthy. I know I am not supposed to harvest for the first year...so how do I treat the plant? Do I just leave it be, or do I need to trim it or remove leaves? Does the same stalk stay until harvest time? Please advise care of plant in first year of growing until harvesting time. Thank you so much! Warmest regards
Showing 11 - 20 of 627 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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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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