About Rhubarb

Did you know that rhubarb is not actually a fruit? It is a classed as a vegetable. Even though you will always find it in puddings. Rhubarb can be expensive to purchase from shops but it is so easy to grow. You can either grow it from a crown which you have purchased or you can grow it from seed which will take a few year to get going.

Planting and harvesting time for Rhubarb

Sow/Plant	October to April
Harvest	May to July

Choosing the best site for Rhubarb

Rhubarb likes to be grown in sunny positions that has great soil. Make sure the soil is well drained and moisture retentive. Before planting add Well rotted organic matter and compost.

Sowing Rhubarb

You can either go out and purchase a rhubarb crown to plant or you can grow rhubarb from seed. Growing from seed you need to leave the plant for around three years before pulling any rhubarb from it. If you are planting a crown do not pick for two years.

3 rhubarb plants will be suffice for a family but remember rhubarb can be frozen so why not grow lots and freeze it through winter and have it all year round. You could always make rhubarb gin.

Planting Rhubarb

When planting rhubarb it needs to be planted around 1 metre away from each other. If you are planting a crown make sure you are getting it from somewhere you can trust or take some crown off someone else’s plant in autumn. The best time to plant a rhubarb crown is in autumn. Keep the plant well watered in it’s first year to help it get established.

Looking after your Rhubarb

Rhubarb does like a bit of love and care to help it get going. At the begining of the year add some pelleted chicken manure but not directly on the crown as this can rot it. Make sure you keep the rhubarb well watered as this makes it grow fast, especially make sure it watered in the first year.

Harvesting Rhubarb

Rhubarb stems can be harvested upto mid August. Do not go any later than this even if you see sticks on the crown, let it build up the foliage to help it build up food reserves for the winter. Never remove more than half the sticks at one time. Do not eat the leaves as these are poisonous.

You can find out more information on Rhubarb here. You can also learn about growing other vegetables here. Why not try growing your own flowers with our tips here.