Growing Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a hardy perennial that thrives best in regions having cool moist summers and winters cold enough to freeze the ground to a depth of several inches. It is not adapted to most parts of the southern U.S., but in certain areas of higher elevation it does fairly well. Growing a few hills along the garden fence will supply all that a family can use.

Any deep, well-drained, fertile soil is suitable for rhubarb. Spade the soil or plow it to a depth of 12 to 16 in.(30 to 40 cm) and mix in rotted manure, leafmold, decayed hardwood leaves, sods, or other form of organic matter. The methods of soil preparation suggested for asparagus are suitable for rhubarb. As rhubarb is planted in hills 3 to 4 ft.(1 m) apart, it is usually sufficient to prepare each hill separately.

Rhubarb plants may be started from seed and transplanted, but seedlings vary from the parent plant. The usual method of starting the plants is to obtain pieces of crowns from established hills, and set them in prepared hills. This is best done in the fall.

Top-dress the planting with a heavy application of organic matter in either early spring or late fall. Compost applied over the hills during early spring greatly hastens growth and forces the plant to inrease its' rate of growth.

A pound of complete commercial fertilizer high in nitrogen applied around each hill every year insures an abundant supply of plant food through the entire growing cycle. The plants can be mulched with green grass or weeds. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder and needs lots of nutrients or the leaves will be small and the stalks will be thin.

Remove seedstalks as soon as they form. No leaf stems should be harvested before the second year and but few until the third. Moreover, the harvest season must be largely confined to early spring. The hills should be divided and reset every 7 or 8 years. Otherwise, they become too thick and produce only slender stems.

You can harvest by either cutting the stalks or pulling them from the root taking the outer sections of the bottom of the stalk as well. Cutting the stalks may be easier, but there is much more of a chance that the remaining plant material will rot and encourage disease. Do this in early spring when the leaves begin to unfurl, and continue to harvest for only two weeks.

Use only the leafstalks as a food. Rhubarb leaves contain injurious substances, including oxalic acid. Never use them for food, or feed them to livestock.