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)
  • Young rhubarb
  • Rhubarb Plant

Rhubarb is easy to grow in cool climates and is a perennial. Rhubarb can be left in the ground and will return a crop for many years, at least 10 to 15 years (We have one that is more than 20 yrs old). Rhubarb is quite a hardy crop but the crown will rot if in heavy wet clay soils. It can cope with dry periods. Plant in good soil and remove as many weeds as possible. Do not disturb rhubarb roots when cultivating round the plant. Better in cooler climates, but can be grown in shady areas of warm climates. You can lift and divide rhubarb to make more plants. It is best to do this when the plant is dormant (or at least less actively growing) in winter or late autumn. It is best to wait until a plant is about 5 years old before dividing the crown but it can be moved at any age. Some of the root structure will be damaged when lifting it, so stalk production will not be so good for a few months. If you have mild winters and your rhubarb is still producing new stalks, you can continue to pick it. Although rhubarb is used in desserts and jams, it is considered a vegetable because the stalks are used not the fruit.

NB: Do not eat the leaves or roots as they contain oxalic acid which is poisonous. They should not be fed to poultry or stock either.

Remove flower stalks as they appear as the plant will stop producing leaf stalks when flowering.

Rhubarb can be 'forced' by covering dormant crowns with clay pots or a cloche in early spring.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Rhubarb

Pick stems about the thickness of your finger. Large stems will have tough 'strings' down the length of them.
Use in pies, crumbles, fools and jams. Rhubarb goes well with orange.
Will usually need sweetener.

Your comments and tips

17 Jan 16, Pat (USA - Zone 5a climate)
We have had good results using horse manure on rhubarb.
21 Apr 17, Brian hargiss (USA - Zone 7a climate)
How well can I grow rhubarb in North West Arkansas ? Thank You
25 Apr 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
You should be able to grow rhubarb in NW Arkansas. Plants are normally available in the winter from nurseries. Burpee's also list them. If your winter is severe put a good layer of straw over them to help insulate them.
28 Nov 17, Sandy (USA - Zone 8b climate)
I got a clump of rhubarb from my sister this summer. I have a brick planter in the front yard that had some room, so I planted it there, beside an artichoke plant. Gave it a good dose of vitamin B1, kept it well watered and it has been doing very well, looking very healthy, and, all of a sudden, it turned yellow. It started turning yellow in October. Could it be, it needs more water (I haven't been watering it much, now that it is looking so good)? Could it be the frost (we have had a few frosty mornings. Just in case it's the frost, I've been covering it at night. Thank you for any insight that can be offered.
26 Feb 21, Carol Nevius Jones (USA - Zone 9b climate)
Rhubarb goes dormant in winter and regrow in Spring. Yellowing after a frost is normal.
28 Nov 22, Lindsay (USA - Zone 9b climate)
Carol, have you grown it in 9b? Everything I’m finding says it’s not going to work.
07 Dec 22, Paula (USA - Zone 10a climate)
Lindsay, my parents grew it in either 9b or 10a under the shade of a citrus tree. It never got as spectacular as those grown in cooler climates but they did get some fresh stalks for about 5 years.
24 Mar 18, Soo-z (USA - Zone 9a climate)
Will rhubarb grow in Jacksonville, Florida -which is Zone 9A?
27 Aug 18, Merri (USA - Zone 10a climate)
I am moving to St. Petersburg, FL next month. I will miss my rhubarb if I don't take some with me. Will it grow successfully in zone 10A?
05 Jan 19, Petra (USA - Zone 9a climate)
I am on the east coast neR Jacksonville zone 9a and have tried numerous times to grow Rhubarb. Summers here are just to brutal (hot and humid) for it to grow. I would love for someone to say it is not so and to share how they successfully grow it here
Showing 1 - 10 of 56 comments

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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