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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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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01 Sep 22, Jack Hudson Hay (New Zealand - temperate climate)
How long is the life of a rhubarb plant
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05 Sep 22, Liz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
We have a plant still going strong after 30 + years
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10 Aug 22, Anita ward (Australia - temperate climate)
Why does my rhubarb taste earthy. The plant is just one yr old.
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02 Jul 22, Faye Ramsden (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Where do you buy the rhizomes from in Western Australia Perth area? I have tried before to grow but with no success so going to try containers. Thank you. Faye
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05 Aug 22, Judy Josling (Australia - temperate climate)
Try the Diggers Club. They sell rhubarb and u can order online. They post plants anywhere.
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I live in south central Tennessee and want to grow rhubarb. Can I do so as a perennial or do I have to treat it as an annual? And where is the best place to plant the crowns?

- Deborah Winquest

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