Rhubarb
Introduction
Perhaps the greatest feature of rhubarb is its timing. After a long winter, rhubarb shoots begin to emerge when there are still hard frosts and snow to contend with. By the beginning of spring it is possible to make the first harvest. Rhubarb crumble is a great way to celebrate the start of the growing season.
Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial that grows from a thick mass called a rhizome. It is officially a vegetable, although a cook uses it like a fruit. It has a distinctive tangy flavour, and is commonly used as a flavouring for ice cream and yoghurt. Rhubarb can also make delicious chutneys.
Watch the YouTube video below, or continue scrolling to read the growing guide.
Planting
- Planting depth: buds at surface level
- Planting spacing: 100 cm between plants, 200 cm between rows
Harvesting
- Only the stems are eaten (never eat the leaves as these are poisonous)
- Store by blanching and freezing
(inside)
(outside)
(fresh)
(stored)
= jar, = freeze, 
= store
Varieties
There is often not a great variety of rhubarb crowns to choose from in the shops, but if you can find them, rhubarb does come in different colours. Some varieties have red stems, others are predominantly green. There are differences in tartness and stem length between different varieties.
Although there are some differences in timing, nearly all rhubarb is harvested between April and June. Forcing rhubarb by covering with a big pot can bring an earlier harvest of sweeter stems. There is at least one variety of rhubarb bred for all season long harvesting, whereas normally rhubarb is not harvested after June to allow the plant to recover.
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Growing
The best time to plant rhubarb is in its dormant season which starts in autumn. Before buying a rhubarb rhizome, ask someone if they are happy to share some of theirs. They may be happy to dig up a portion of their plant. The rhizone can be easily divided by cutting with a sharp knife or splitting with a spade. You can start your own rhubarb plant with this.
There are two keys tasks for growing rhubarb:
- At planting
Digging a big hole and cramming it full of well rotten compost and manure - Feeding
Every late autumn or late winter – covering the rhubarb bed with a thick mulch of well rotten compost and manure
Plant a big hole for the rhubarb rhizone, and fill it at least 50:50 with compost and well rotted manure. Prepared in this way, there is very little else for a gardener to do, the rhubarb will do the rest.
Rhubarb hardly requires any weeding, as the rhubarb shoots emerge very early in the growing season and smoother weeds with their big broad leaves. Rhubarb grows in the rainy spring weather, and naturally dies back in summer. Its broad leaves help to provide shade during summer, but it is recommended to regularly water the plant to encourage healthy growth.
Every 5 years of so it is worth lifting the rhubarb and dividing. Wait until the dormant season – and wet weather to make the task easier – and dig under the rhubarb to lift it up. You will find that the rhubarb rhizone has grown considerably, presenting an opportunity to divide it to share with friends and family. This is also the time to refresh and enrich the growing medium with heaps of fresh compost and well rotten manure.
There is a commercial way to force rhubarb by growing in large sheds and excluding the light, or a simple way as described here. When you see the rhubarb shoots emerging from the ground in winter (start looking in January) cover the rhubarb with a big bucket. The exclusion of light encourages the plant to develop long, sweet purple stems earlier in the growing season than if left unforced.
Rhubarb stems should be pulled off, with a slight twist of the hand, rather than cut. This avoids damaging the plant and ensures you get as much of the stem as possible.