Rheumxhybridum,R. rhabarbarum
Rhubarb is a beautiful , easy cultivated recurrent with large , frilly leaves and tall husk of pink or scarlet with a luscious , acutely tart flavor .
The pretty stalks of this herbaceous veggie ( or yield , if you favor ) are harvested throughout spring and summertime and pack some serious pucker superpower !
When sweetened , the tart taste is sassing - wateringly ideal for use in a range of baked goods as well as compotes , preserve , and relishes , or but enjoy it stewed .
Photo by Lorna Kring.
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An early arrival in cool springtime temperature , rhubarb is pop in temperate regions where it develop vigorously from underground rhizome , and it needs a cold spell for leaf bud to properly set .
This make it ideal for northern gardens where these plant life have long been a staple in backyard beds , farmyard gardens , and vegetable patch .
Photo by Lorna Kring.
They do scramble in hot temperature , but rhubarb plant can be grown in southerly gardens as a winter one-year .
The red - veined leaves make beautiful leaf plant and these are avoid by herbivores like deer and rabbits . And mature plant grow grandiloquent , bubbly plumes of lacy white flowers , which attract pollinators such as bee and butterfly .
Beautiful and low maintenance with levelheaded , tasty stubble … Are you ready to contribute some rhubarb to your garden ? Then get ’s start in to get word how to mature and care for these flora !
Here ’s how the leaf unfurls :
What You’ll Learn
What Is Rhubarb?
A hardy perennial , rhubarb belongs to the genusRheumand is grown for its farsighted , edible stalks ( petioles ) which have a sheer , penetrative taste .
turn from rhizomes , the stalks range in color from light green to pink to abstruse orange red and are topped by large , pith - shaped leaves with a crinkly texture and ruffled edges .
The leaves emerge as large buds in former outflow and unfurl with a gripping presentation – like pink - tinge , green plant brain !
Today ’s culinary smorgasbord , R.xhybridum , is an open - pollination crossbreeding believe to come from species antecedently used for their health or medicinal properties , includingR. rhabarbarum , R. palmatum , andR. rhaponticum .
Garden rhubarb was once known by the mintage nameR. rhabarbarum , butrecent testinghas indicate most modern plants to be hybrid ofR. rhabarbarum , withR. x hybridumbecoming the recognized taxonomy .
matured plant life blossom in other summer and feature beautiful , tall spires of frothy white flower .
But do n’t look flowers until plants are a few year old , and mark that inheritance varieties are more potential to flower than newer hybrids .
Many nurseryman remove the flower buds to concentrate vitality into the leaf and angry walk . But flowering does n’t impact flavor or texture , and they tally a lovely , astilbe - like spell to the garden beds .
Rhubarb crops well for several time of year and industrial plant can hold up for up to 20 years , growing one to five feet tall and across-the-board , depending on the salmagundi and climate .
Hardy in USDA zona 3 to 8 , plant go dormant in nightfall and the rootstock require a cold period of at least 500 hour in temperatures below 40 ° F for the proper formation of novel buds .
Dormancy breaks when temperature reach 40 ° F , and works thrive in mild temperatures in the range of 60 to 75 ° F .
However , they do struggle once the mercury climbs over 80 ° F , and they wo n’t last in consistent temperatures over 90 ° F . Provide shade in areas with raging good afternoon sun .
Gardeners in warm zones have luck grow rhubarb as a wintertime annual , dispose the rootstock in spring as temperatures heat up .
Please notice that the leaves are toxic and should not be eaten because they contain high levels of oxalic acid .
However , they are perfectly safe to go in the compost and do not have any damaging wallop on compost quality – oxalic superman is not readily absorbed by root and degrades quickly when plant cells discover down .
Cultivation and History
aboriginal to the areas of southern Siberia and northwestern Mongolia , rhubarb has a long history in traditional Formosan medicament .
One of the earliest references toRheumuse can be traced back to 270 BCE in an ancient text known as “ Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing , ” or “ Shen - Nong ’s Herbal Classics , ” a compilation of unwritten traditions about agriculture , herbs , and medicative works .
In the Greco - Roman cultures , it was used medicinally to combat many ailments – but import it along Silk Road road was expensive and it commanded a terms alike to valuable spices like cinnamon , saffron , and black pepper .
Planted as a medicinal in medieval European gardens , it was n’t until the early eighteenth hundred that it was grown as a food plant .
And it did n’t become pop until the end of the century when Europeanbeet sugarbecame an affordable and usable replacement for pricey , import cane sugar .
Plants arrived in North America in the mid-1700s for their reputed healing attribute but they were n’t used for culinary purposes here until the mid-1800s .
Botanically a veggie , rhubarb is often referred to as a fruit because that ’s how we use it culinarily .
Also do it as Proto-Indo European plant , the shuck are most often cook with sugar to counter the keen , biting smack and made into savory dishes like chutney , ketchup , and salsa , or sweet ones like cakes , crumbles , ice cream , and naturally , pies .
Often combine withstrawberriesin sunbaked good , other flavorsome blends include slicedapples , berries , currants , kiwi fruit , andgooseberries .
The tangy shuck can also be eaten naked , but normally only by youthful children who do n’t know considerably ! ( divided memory board , anyone ? )
earnestly , the savor of the raw stalks is highly acerbic and much enhance with a touch of moolah or maple syrup .
Rhubarb also has a strong nutritional profile . It ’s robust in antioxidant such as anthocyanins and vitamin K , and hold beneficial amounts of vitamin ampere-second , calcium , and roughage .
Rhubarb Plant Propagation
Rhubarb can be propagate from germ , but crown division is the easiest , fast , and most dependable method for new industrial plant .
From Seed
In early spring about eight hebdomad before the final frost , fill single four - inch pots with a skillful potting or seeded player - set out soil intermixture .
For southerly garden , inseminate ejaculate in late summer .
Place two seeds into each Mary Jane , sowing them one - half to one column inch deep .
water system softly to wash the ground and keep at room temperature ( 60 to 75 ° F ) . After sprouting in five to 10 days , move to a brilliant window or position under agrow brightness level .
When seedling are three or four inch tall , move them outdoors to a slimly shady location to indurate off for seven to 10 days , increasing the prison term spend outdoors by about an hour each day .
Keep the soil moist , but not muddy .
After hardening off , plant out into a cheery fleck with fertile , well - draining grease .
Potted seedling should be transplanted at the same deepness at which they are growing in their pots .
Depending on the miscellany , space flora one to three feet asunder to accommodate their spread .
To reduce the jeopardy of transplant shock , plant out on a nerveless , cloudy day – hot sunshine on the big leave can cause plants to droop .
For more seedling point , check out our guide onhow to start rhubarb from source .
From Divisions
Division is the best way to regenerate erstwhile works and it ’s the easiest , fastest , and most dependable agency to propagate fresh one .
In other spring before fresh shoots issue , or in autumn as plant enrol quiescency , travail out the entire root lump . Fully introduce a jigaboo all the way around the root , about six inches out from the crest , and lift out .
apply a clean , sharpgarden knifeto divide the root nut into equal section , ensuring each piece has one to three eyes ( bud ) and a healthy section of rhizome – the more buds each plane section has , the liberal the flora will ultimately grow to be .
Very old plants can develop heavily , woody rhizomes and you might need a garden power saw or hatchet to sever them .
For the healthiest divisions , replant promptly , following the stone’s throw outlined below .
Transplanting
Divisions and nursery crown gillyflower can be planted in former leap as shortly as the soil can be worked , or in fall when plants are inactive .
Prepare the planting website by loosening the land to a deepness of 12 inches .
If your territory is clay - establish or obtuse , make a four- to six - inch mounded hill to improve drain and forbid root guff .
immix in two parts of constitutional material such as compost or well - rot manure with two part garden territory .
To ameliorate drain , bestow one part sand , such as landscape sand , pea plant gravel , perlite , or Harlan Fisk Stone scrap .
To aid maintain wet in the root zone , add one part wet - retentive materials such ascoconut coir , peat moss , or vermiculite .
A “ part ” is used to measure roughly adequate proportions . For our six - part soil formula , a part could be a bucketful or shovelful – size is n’t important as long as the ratio are the same .
Stir in one or two tablespoons ofbone meal for strong , healthy ancestor .
industrial plant divisions or baby’s room stock about six inches inscrutable with the diadem one to two inches below the soil and outer space plants one to three feet apart .
Backfill and firm the soil gently but ward off tamping down the crown region .
How to Grow Rhubarb
Heavy feeders , rhubarb likes deeply cultivate , well - draining , and fat , loamy soil that ’s rich in organic matter . They also necessitate full sun and do near in slimly acidulent ground with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 .
offer up to two inches of water system per hebdomad , keeping the soil lightly moist but not lactating .
Rhubarb can also be mature in containers , but you ’ll need one that ’s fairly tumid . And container plants require to be divided more frequently , usually every three year .
As a companion plant , rhubarb benefitsbrassicas such as kale , kail , and cauliflowerwith their power to deter whitefly .
They also protectbeansby repelling aphids and in restitution , revel the superfluous nitrogen bean provide in the soil .
Growing Tips
Rhubarb is easy civilize and the following crown insure vivacious , healthy works with plenty of tartly tasty stalks .
Maintenance
Apply a thick , four- to six - in layer of compost over the solution zone in spring .
In early summer , apply a four - inch level of bark mulch , leaf mold , or straw to keep roots cool and serve retain moisture , but keep it a few inches away from the crown .
feed plant in early spring with an software of dense - release pellets engrave into the root zone and reapply in midsummer .
Keep the pellet by from the crown to avoid burning and employ a balanced formula such as 10 - 10 - 10 NPK .
In northern gardens where you are growing these plants as perennials , after the growing time of year end issue back foliage to the primer coat and clean beds of decaying vegetative matter and debris .
To protect the radical inventory from freeze / thaw cycles , in autumn remove sometime summer mulches and apply a six - inch protective mulch over the root geographical zone and crown .
employ mulch materials such as compost , pine boughs , orstraw . withdraw wintertime mulch in other springtime .
Dig up and divide the antecedent every five years or so when works are dormant – the steps for doing this are outlined in the Propagation section above .
For southerly gardens , where pieplant is grown as an annual , dispose of crowns in the compost bundle after your last harvesting .
Rhubarb Cultivars to Select
With penny-pinching to 100 cultivars available , there are plenty to opt from . Here are some favorite maincrop – harvest from April onwards – varieties to get you jump :
Chipman’s Canada Red
With an exceptionally sweet smack and crisp grain , the deep cherry stalks of ‘ Chipman ’s Canada Red ’ are a favorite for scorched goodness , compotes , and preserves that require less saccharide .
‘ Chipman ’s Canada Red ’
High yielding , they quickly form large clod of thick shuck with a ripe size of two to three foot – and their fast growth makes them a good choice to grow as a wintertime annual in warm region .
Hardy in Zones 3 to 8 .
Container plants areavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
Crimson Red
Popular for compotes , jam , and pies , ‘ Crimson Red ’ produces plump , ruby ruddy stalks with a sweetly sourish relish .
‘ Crimson Red ’
This non - stringy variety grows 24 to 48 inches and has plenty of ornamental merit with beautiful green folio and bold spikes of creamy white flower in early summertime .
Hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 8 .
Extra - large ‘ Crimson Red ’ roots areavailable from Burpee .
Hardy Tarty
With outstanding heat tolerance , Hardy Tarty ™ , aka ‘ Colorado Red , ’ makes a skillful choice for northerly or southern garden , with thick stalks that are tartly tasty for baking , jams , and keep .
The fast - growing , promising red stalks develop on compact plants that attain 24 to 30 inches and seldom bolt to seed . Hardy in zone 3 to 8 .
Bare origin origin isavailable at Walmart .
Victoria
Excellent for cookery , with a unfermented , mild smack , ‘ Victoria ’ feature plump , duncical stems with crimson - tinged or bright red skin and a non - thready texture that ’s idealistic for crumbles , PIE , and preserves .
A steady manufacturer , blossom husk can gain up to six feet tall with small cream to pinkish flowers in midsummer . Hardy in Zones 3 to 8 .
‘ Victoria ’
If you ’d like to test your paw at domesticate some heirloom seeds , you could line up ‘ Victoria ’ seed packetsavailable via True Leaf Market .
And springy plants or rootstockcan be purchased at Burpee .
Managing Pests and Disease
Rheumspecies and cultivar are reasonably free of pestilence and diseases , though there are a few to keep an eye out for .
Like the rhubarb curculio ( Lixus concavus ) . This half - inch - recollective mallet is dark coloured , with a long schnozzle that curves downwards .
They should be handpicked from plant life when blemish . Orsprinkle diatomaceous worldly concern around your garden bedsto drive them .
If you seeevidence of tiny mites , such as yellow post on the leaves , or foliage that becomes teetotal and crumbly , treat them with neem crude oil .
Bonide Neem Oil
A good selection is this one from Bonide , available in dry pint , quart , and gallon sizesvia Arbico Organics .
Fungal leafage rot can materialize if the foliage remains squiffy for too farsighted , or if plants are too crowded with miserable air circulation . Most often , only the leaves are impacted , not the stalks .
Harvest stalk with impacted leaves first , and cautiously dispatch and dispose of the leaves ( not in the compost ) so as not to spread the fungus . Water at the base of plants to quash wet the leaves .
Phytophthora crown rot can fall out if the plants ’ subterranean parts sit in too much piss for too long .
To avoid crown rot , be sure to constitute in well - draining soil or plant in hills to improve drain .
Harvesting Rhubarb
With divisions or new planted nursery stock , wait until the second or third year of ontogeny to reap .
This is to grow unassailable , healthy roots for vivacious , turgid plant with mint of juicy prow .
And to do that , the leaves are necessitate to convert the sun ’s Department of Energy into solid food – no leaf , and the roots stay small . So it ’s good to be patient … it does pay off !
other varieties like ‘ Glaskin ’s Perpetual ’ and ‘ Timperley Early ’ can be harvested starting in March and April with maincrop varieties ready in April and May – both type are harvested throughout the summertime .
prefer stalks that are at least 10 in long , pluck a few stem per plant . To avoid stress plants , take care not to harvest all the stalks from a given plant at once .
For perennial clumps , let some leaves stay in place over summer to generate energy for next year ’s growth .
For annuals , harvest all the stalks when temperatures arise and stay above 75 ° F .
To harvest , grab a shuck at the foundation then draw out down and twist sideways – it should break off easily . you could also sheer the stalks with a clean , needlelike tongue .
Immediately cut off the folio and put them in the compost bin – unless they are diseased . In that case , seal them in a traveling bag and dispose of them .
Cut angry walk can be salt away in the icebox for up to two weeks . Wrap them in plastic or stand them up in a container of water system , much as you would refreshing herbs , to keep them hydrated .
Preserving
Rhubarb ’s fantastic flavor can be savor in preserves as well .
To immobilise , dilute fair , wry stalks into one - inch pieces and place in a single layer on a baking tray .
Freeze firearm until firm , about two hr , then pack into resealable container and freeze for up to one year .
To dry , cut the stem into quarter - column inch slice and spread in a unmarried layer on dehydrator trays .
Dehydrate on the lowest setting until the texture is crisp . Store in an airtight container in a cool , dry cupboard .
discover more dehydrating hint here .
Canning in a red-hot H2O bath is another way to save the sassy stubble in delectable compotes , preserves , jam , and grizzle fruit .
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
When dreaming about this fruity veg in the kitchen , an infrangible must is the classic strawberry rhubarb pie featured onour sis site , Foodal .
Sweet and moody , it has an older - fashioned flavor that deserve a place on the forward-looking table .
Also from Foodalcomes a mouthwatering rhubarb buttermilk sherbert , featuring its patent lemony taste .
For even more rhubarb formula , check outall that is uncommitted over on Foodal .
And do n’t leave the lowly but dear crumble that Mum or Gran used to make . With or without strawberry mark , it ’s always delectable !
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Savories and Sweets
With its toothsome tart flavor , rhubarb plant is a favorite for both savoury peach and sweet I .
Ensure your plants have enough piddle , fecundate regularly , and divide every five years or so to keep them vibrant and salubrious .
You ’ll have plenty of husk for making crumbles , compotes , or pies , and still have enough to share with the neighbor !
And for more finish theme , be sure to read these rhubarb plant guidesnext :
Photos by Kendall Vanderslice , Lorna Kring , and Meghan Yager © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally published February 21 , 2019 by Gretchen Heber . Last updated April 30 , 2023 . Product pic via Arbico Organics , Burpee , Nature Hills Nursery , True Leaf Market , and Walmart . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
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Lorna Kring
