Tue 6 Jan 2009
The beauty of this perennial has been its salvation in the home garden because, in most areas, its harvest season is rather short to justify the care and space it needs for an entire season. The broad, pink-tinged, crumpled leaves on tall, smooth stalks make interesting focal points in flower beds or in tubs. Six to eight plants of this massive, hardy perennial will keep you in rhubarb pies throughout the spring.
Rhubarb dies back or goes dormant each fall and shoots up new leaves in the spring. The plant needs a dormant period and doesn’t do well in the Southeast, along the Gulf Coast, and in parts of the Southwest where winters are warm. In mild-winter areas summer dormancy can be achieved by cutting back on water for several weeks after the plant has stopped producing stalks.
How to plant
Sow seeds or set out young potted plants or roots in late spring. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart. The first heavy harvest can be taken the third spring.
Care
Feed rhubarb plants in the early spring and again in early fall. In areas where the soil freezes deeply, mulch rhubarb in winter after the soil has frozen. Apply 3 to 4 inches of compost or manure (not leaves) to prevent the soil from heaving and to add humus. Rhubarb is deep-rooted; water plants every two to three weeks by soaking the soil deeply around the crowns.
Harvesting
Give clumps a year to become established before harvesting (rhubarb sown from seeds needs two years). Using a sideways twist, snap off stems at the base when they reach 12 to 18 inches in length. Trim off and discard all of the leaf blades; they are mildly poisonous. Leave a few stalks on each plant to manufacture food and rebuild the energy in the crown.
In containers
Rhubarb makes a handsome container plant in a minimum of 3 cubic feet of soil per plant. If frost hits, move the container into a cool garage or cellar.
