How To Plant Rhubarb

Did you know you are suppose to plant rhubarb in your fall garden? This perennial stalk needs to be planted in the fall so it is first to greet the spring after a long winter. Follow my simple step by step instructions on how to plant rhubarb in your garden. Nothing over the top. Keep reading to see how it is done!

Once you have harvested your rhubarb you are going to want to make some rhubarb recipes. Enjoy this rhubarb recipes: Rhubarb syrup, rhubarb-sour/">rhubarb sour cocktail and rhubarb cake.

How To Plant Rhubarb In Your Fall Garden

Can I tell you a secret? I LOVE rhubarb.

It is one of my strange quirks, I guess. I think it started when I was a young 4-Her baking for the fair. I wanted to do something different and found a recipe for strawberry rhubarb crumb cake. It was awesome!! If I ever find it again in my stacks of recipes scribbled on food stained pieces of paper I will be sure to share it with you. There is just something about the sweetness of the strawberries with the tartness of the rhubarb that is so good to me.

Rhubarb root transplants

It is super hard to plant rhubarb from seed. It can be done. It just can't be done by me. I do not have the best luck with growing plants from seeds. Peas, beans, pumpkins, cucumbers and squash are about the extent of my seed growing ability. So I am not taking any chances and using the root transplants to start these plants.

How long will a rhubarb plant produce rhubarb?

Rhubarb plants can produce for upwards of 20 years. Be sure you are willing to commit to the placement when you select your full sun spot to plant your rhubarb.

How To Plant Rhubarb

1. Space your plants out 36 inches on center.
2. Dig a hole 12-24 inches deep and about 18 inches across.  The more north you are the deeper you are going to want to go.
3. Toss in some cow manure. Or in my case chicken manure. If you don't have either toss in a shovel full of compost. But make sure it is 6-8" deep. Give your rhubarb some 'food' to eat while it is getting settled in its new home.
4. Place your rhubarb cutting in the hole nestled next to the 'food' with the sprout end facing up and 3-4 inches below the surface of the ground.
5. Cover completely and place an additional 2-3 inches of compost on top of the mound. This will settle over time.

When to harvest rhubarb

• First year of growing: Do nothing. Do not harvest the stalks. I know this will be hard but gardening is not about instant gratification.
• Second year of growing: Harvest the stalks by grasping the stalk low to the ground and pulling sharply. Do not cut stalks in large clumps because this can encourage disease.  You don't want a diseased rhubarb plant! You worked so hard and waited so long! Be nice to your plant.
• Third year of growing: Jackpot! You are now able to harvest for a full 8 weeks. Be sure to remove the leaves from the stalks to maximize water retention in the stalks.

How to maintain healthy rhubarb plants

In the fall: Cover with compost and then remove in the spring. Then fertilize with a fertilizer high in nitrogen.

When can I divide my rhubarb plant?

To ensure a good yield be sure to divide your plants every 5 years. Share with a friend!

More rhubarb recipes:

• Strawberry rhubarb crips
• Rhubarb sour cocktail
• Rhubarb Curd Recipe
• Rhubarb iced tea
• Strawberry Rhubarb Infused Vodka Recipe
• Rhubarb Basil Smash

More Garden Posts:

• Turn over our garden HERE.
• Make a Tomato Cage HERE.
• Plant the Perfect Tomato HERE.
• Plant Garlic HERE.
• Plant Peas HERE.

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originally published: Apr 11, 2013