Yummy Rhubarb from Your Home Garden

An easily grown rhubarb plant will continue growing for 20 plus years! People have loved the tangy, tart taste of rhubarb for centuries and have used this plant for pies, tarts, jams and many other yummy treats! You can start a plant in your own backyard and have fresh rhubarb every spring for many years to come!

When choosing the location for your rhubarb, choose a place where it can grow for many years. Some great places include: along a fence, in your annual vegetable garden, along the border of your property and even in a backyard perennial flower bed. The rhubarb will be one of the first plants to come up in the spring, and the foliage will quickly wilt during the first heat of the summer. Consider this if planting near other plants. Rhubarb grows best in full sun, so look for a nice sunny spot.

Purchase your rhubarb from a nursery that you trust and will stand behind its products. Rhubarb is sold in a root form, and should be in a dormant state. If you are planting from another rhubarb plant, dig up some of the first shoots and transplant them into your garden. Bury the roots just deep enough that the base of the plant is just above the soil level. Till up the soil so it is nice and soft and add organic matter to fertilize the soil.

Once you have planted the rhubarb, take careful notice to ensure the soil does not completely dry up. Since the roots are new to the spot and very shallow the plant will dry out very easily. Water immediately after planting and check the moisture level daily for the first few weeks. It is also very important to mulch over and around the plant to maintain a moist soil level.

The first year of growth, you will not want to harvest any of the shoots. This will ensure a healthy root development to establish itself in its new spot. When you notice seed shoots popping up be sure to cut those immediately so that the plant does not waste energy developing seeds. The second year of growth you can harvest a few stalks, but leave the majority of the stalks on the plant. The 3rd year you can harvest as much as you would like. Each year you will want to avoid the flowering stalks to produce seeds, so keep your eyes open for the flowering stalks! Stalks should be harvested when they are about a finger size in diameter. Overgrown stalks will be very tough and tend to be very bitter. Refrigerate the stalks or use them immediately!

A rhubarb plant is very easy to grow and will adapt to almost any growing conditions. Few pests will bother a rhubarb plant, but ample mulch will help prevent insects from becoming a problem. In the fall, clean up all debris around the rhubarb plant to prevent any insects from surviving the winter. Once your plant is established, enjoy this tasty treat that signifies summer is here!