Why Rhubarb Belongs in Every Backyard
Rhubarb is the quiet workhorse of the perennial food garden. Plant one healthy crown and, with almost zero coddling, you will pull crisp red stalks for twenty years or more. It laughs at frost, shrugs off most pests, and asks only for sunshine, decent drainage, and an annual mulch of compost. If you crave a fruit-like flavor but lack space for trees, rhubarb delivers pies, crisps, and sauces from early spring straight into summer.
Choosing the Right Variety
All rhubarb is Rheum rhabarbarum, but stalk color, thickness, and vigor vary. Canadian Red and Victoria give reliably red stalks even in warmer zones, while MacDonald and Valentine produce thick, sweet stems perfect for freezing. If you garden in the humid South, select heat-tolerant cultivars like ‘Sunrise’; they bolt less when nights stay above 70 °F. Buy one-year-old field-grown crowns from a reputable nursery—avoid dried supermarket stalks sold for eating; they will not root.
Best Climate and Timing
Rhubard needs at least 500 chill hours below 40 °F to break dormancy, so it thrives in Zones 3–8. Plant crowns in early spring as soon as soil is workable, or in fall six weeks before hard freeze. Southern growers in Zone 9 can cheat winter by pre-chilling crowns in the refrigerator for six weeks, then planting in January.
Site Selection: Sun, Soil, and Spacing
Pick the sunniest corner of the yard; shade equals thin, green stalks. Soil pH of 6.0–6.8 is ideal. Dig a hole 18 in deep and wide, loosening the sides with a digging fork. Mix excavated soil with two buckets of compost and a handful of balanced organic fertilizer. Space crowns 3 ft apart in rows 4 ft apart; they swell into bathtub-sized clumps faster than you expect.
Planting Step-by-Step
- Soak crowns in lukewarm water for two hours while you prep the bed.
- Set each crown so the pink growth buds sit 2 in below soil surface—deeper leads to rot, shallower to drying out.
- Backfill halfway, water thoroughly, then finish filling and water again to settle air pockets.
- Mulch with 3 in of leaf mold or shredded bark to suppress weeds and keep roots cool.
Watering and Feeding Schedule
Rhubarb is 95 % water, so even soil moisture equals plump stalks. Give 1–2 in of water per week during spring growth; drip irrigation beats overhead sprinklers that splash soil onto petioles. Each March, slide aside mulch and spread 2 in of compost around the crown, keeping it off the buds. Follow with a light dusting of organic 5-5-5; scratch it into the top inch and replace mulch.
Mulching and Weed Control
Old carpet scraps and black plastic do more harm than good—they trap excess moisture. Instead, lay cardboard topped with wood chips every spring. By midsummer the cardboard disintegrates, adding carbon while smothering weeds. Hand-pull any invaders that peek through; rhubarb roots are shallow and resent hoeing.
Companion Plants That Work
Strawberries make classic companions; their shallow roots do not compete, and the rhubarb canopy shades berry fruit from hot sun. Bush beans fix nitrogen that the heavy-feeding rhubarb appreciates. Avoid tall sunflowers or corn on the south side; afternoon shade reduces stalk color and sweetness.
The First-Year Rule: Do Not Harvest
Those ruby stalks will tempt you, but resist. Let every leaf photosynthesize during year one so the crown stores energy. Clip only flower stalks that appear—snap them at the base to prevent seed production that saps strength.
How to Harvest Without Killing the Plant
Starting in year two, grasp a stalk near the base, twist sharply sideways, and pull; cutting leaves a stump that rots. Take no more than one-third of the plant at a time, and always stop when skinny stalks appear—this signals the crown is tiring. Remove leaves immediately; they contain toxic oxalic acid and wilt fast. Compost them unless you have grazing animals; the wilted greens remain poisonous.
Forcing Rhubarb for Early Pink Stalks
Want the tenderest, sweetest stalks by Easter? In late winter place a black plastic bin or upturned trash can over an established crown. The darkness warms soil and blanches chlorophyll, producing slender, coral-pink celery-like sticks in four weeks. Harvest, then remove the cover so the plant rebuilds strength; do not force the same crown two years running.
Dividing Crowns: Keep Vigor Alive
After six or seven years stalks shrink and seed stalks multiply—time to divide. Dig the entire clump in early spring, rinse soil from roots, and split with a sharp spade so each chunk holds at least one large pink bud and a fistful of roots. Replant the healthiest pieces; discard woody centers. Share extras with neighbors; rhubarb gossip spreads faster than zucchini.
Common Pest Problems and Organic Fixes
Rhubarb curculio—a ¾-inch rusty snout beetle—pokes holes in stalks leaving dark specks. hand-pick at dawn and drop into soapy water; clean up dock weeds that host the insect. Slugs rasp ragged holes in spring; ring the bed with copper tape or fill tuna cans with cheap beer. Aphids wash off with a sharp hose spray; follow with insecticidal soap if they return. Deer and rabbits dislike the oxalic taste, but if they nibble, drape floating row cover until growth outruns browsing.
Spotting and Solving Diseases
Crown rot turns buds brown and mushy, usually from waterlogged soil. Dig out rotted tissue, dust remaining crown with powdered cinnamon—a natural antifungal—and replant in a raised bed amended with grit. Ascochyta leaf spot causes small tan circles with red halos; it is cosmetic. Remove affected leaves, widen spacing for airflow, and avoid overhead watering. Never compost diseased foliage; trash it instead.
Growing Rhubarb in Containers
Short on space? A 20-gallon food-grade plastic pot works. Drill six 1-inch drainage holes, add a 2-inch crock layer, then fill with 50 % compost and 50 % coconut coir to keep weight down. Set the crown 2 in below the rim. Expect shorter stalks and plan to divide every three years when roots spiral inside the pot. Move the pot into an unheated garage after the first hard frost; water monthly so crowns do not desiccate.
Winter Care in Cold Zones
Once nights hit 25 °F, foliage naturally blackens. Cut it off, pile 6 in of shredded leaves over the crown, and top with a vented plastic tote to block winter wash-outs. Remove insulation gradually in spring as green buds push through; rushing can expose them to killing frost.
Winter Care in Warm Zones
Rhubarb treats Zone 9 winters like a mild summer. Keep the bed weeded and irrigated; growth slows but does not stop. Apply an extra inch of compost in December to replace nutrients leached by winter rains.
Freezing and Preserving Your Harvest
Wash stalks, slice into ½-inch pieces, and blanch for 90 seconds in boiling water. Shock in ice water, drain, and freeze on a parchment-lined tray. Bag solid chunks; they remain loose for easy measuring. For pie filling, simmer diced rhubarb with 25 % sugar by weight until just softened; cool and freeze flat in zip bags.
Simple Soil Recharge After decades
Even productive beds tire. Every ten years, lift the crowns one by one, fork the footprint 18 in deep, and work in two 5-gal buckets of leaf mold plus 2 cups of organic 5-5-5. Replant the youngest divisions; you will see thicker stalks within a season.
Myths That Refuse to Die
Red stalks are sweeter. Color is cultivar-based; many green-stalked types such as ‘Victoria’ outperform reds for flavor. Rhubarb needs manure every month. Too much nitrogen causes hollow, watery stalks that cook into mush. One spring compost dose suffices. You can harvest rhubarb after a frost. Partially true for light frost, but once temps drop below 28 °F the stalks slump and oxalic acid migrates from dying leaves, making them unsafe; discard any limp stalks.
Seasonal Checklist at a Glance
- Early Spring—Apply compost, inspect for crown rot, remove flower stalks.
- Late Spring—Begin harvest, mulch again if soil shows through.
- Summer—Water weekly, clip seed stalks, sidedress with compost tea after heavy picking.
- Fall—Allow foliage to feed roots; add leaf mulch as nights cool.
- Winter—Cut black leaves, deep-mulch crowns in cold zones; continue light watering in warm zones.
Takeaway
Plant once, harvest for decades—that is rhubarb’s bargain with the gardener. Give it sun, drainage, and yearly compost, then step back and watch the red lanterns rise. Twist, pull, slice, freeze, bake; the tart taste of spring becomes the pie of summer, all from a single crown you tucked into the earth.
Disclaimer: This article is an AI-generated gardening guide. For personalized advice, consult your local extension service. Always discard rhubarb leaves; they are toxic to humans and animals.