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

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29 Apr 23, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7a Mild Temperate climate)
I find the best way to harvest rhubarb is: hold the stalk (flat hand) close to the ground (about 3/4 of the way down) -- push the stalk sideways and backwards (45 degree angle out away from the plant) -- once you hear the snap, grab the stalk twist and pull simultaneously.
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19 Feb 23, Liz (Australia - temperate climate)
Hold the stem close to the ground and twist gently as you pull it up
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30 Jan 23, phil coppola (USA - Zone 7b climate)
What variety of rhubarb is best to grow as a perennial in zone 7. I tried rhubarb about 45 years ago and was unsuccessful. Reason being that the temperature in the winter wasn't cold enough in the winter and if you were to try to grow it you were required to expose the bulb (?roots) to a freeze. Are there new varieties that don't require that. Please advise.
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23 Jan 23, Graeme Horn (Australia - temperate climate)
What is eating my Rhubarb Leaves, nearly nothing left of leaf.
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12 Feb 23, Nat (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Possums? Put some netting over it!
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25 Oct 22, Niki Farr (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
What is the best way to harvest rhubarb stalks-cut using a knife or twist and tear? Thanks
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11 Nov 22, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
I sort of do a bend (push the stalk to the side - and I generally hear a snap) -- then I twist and pull. This gets the whole stalk out -- and sometimes some "white" (which is not edible and needs to be cut off). When I use a knife, I don't get the entire stalk out, which leaves a nub sticking out of the ground. So for me, it is the bend, twist and pull that works best.
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09 Oct 22, Jen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
It says to remove the flowerstalk but no mention why there is a flowerstalk.. I was suprised today to find a stalk at least a meter high?? WHY....???
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17 Oct 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Rhubarb produces a flowerstalk and flowers so that it can produce seed. all plants need to propagate. Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but first the seed has to be produced!
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10 Oct 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Best you google about it. Flowering is part of the life cycle of plants.
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Showing 41 - 50 of 633 comments
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I had the same problem with my rhubarb. It never thrived. For 3 years, it was in a spot that received western sun and full shade in winter. The soil wad always dry, and I had to keep the water up. I moved it into a north east facing raised bed full of rich soil and mulched thickly. Did this about 6 weeks ago, and it has already doubled in size. The leaves are bigger, greener and lush. The stalks are also thick and crisp! We're coming into winter now, so your rhubarb might take a little longer to recover. Give it a good drink of seaweed at transplant. I also soak my mulch in seaweed solution before mulching. As for the holes in the leaves, that will probably be from a grub. Inspect your plant and its root ball before transplanting, so you don't bring the little muncher over too! Sometimes grubs hide in the ground. Good luck!

- Claudia

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