Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a true stalwart of the garden and will weather the most horrendous of winters with ease making it one of the most reliable and productive plants you can grow in the garden. In spring rhubarb produces colorful stems, which are edible and once ripe are excellent used in desserts and other dishes.

How to grow

Rhubarb is a long living perennial that can live happily in the garden for ten years plus after planting. It is essential therefore to prepare your planting area well prior to planting it. By following a few steps your rhubarb plant will reward you for years to come with beautifully tasty and succulent stems.

Position

Rhubarb is best planted in a sunny position but will also grow well in part shade. Rhubarb can grow in to a large clump and it is best to allow a large area around your plant or crown to accommodate this.

Soil

Rhubarb will grow well on most soils but as it is a long living perennial it is good practice to improve the planting area prior to planting. Dig the area well and incorporate plenty of well-rotted garden compost or multi-purpose compost. This will help to ensure that the soil retains moisture which is essential for good growth.

Care

Rhubarb requires very little care and would quite happily grow with no care at all after planting. For best results however, it is advisable that you mulch around plants, avoiding contact with the crown itself, with garden compost each spring. This will help to suppress weeds and retain moisture. At this point you can also apply a well-balanced fertilizer to help encourage healthy growth.

Harvesting

It is important that you do not harvest any stems in the first year of planting as your plant will need to establish. In the second year it is possible to harvest a couple of stems per plant but try to restrain yourself as your plant may be weakened by over cropping. After this you can harvest three or four stems at any one time ensuring that a similar number of stems remain in place. This can be done between May and July each year and you will get two or three opportunities to harvest during each season.

Top Tip

Remove any flower spikes that develop on plants as this will use up a lot of the plants stored energy and weaken the crop. A rhubarb forcer keeps the stems tender and flavorsome.

Rhubarb

One of the earliest rhubarb varieties which can be ready outside as early as February. It is also suitable for forcing if you want to produce an even earlier crop and will provide you with succulent, red-based pink stems with a delicious flavor. Garden care: Dig the area in autumn, incorporating a good amount of compost or well-rotted manure. Rake in a general fertilizer, such as Growmore in to the area just before planting. Keep plants well watered and remove any flowering shoots that appear. Mulch the crowns in January or February. It is best to allow new plants to become established during the first year before harvesting your first crop, so wait for 12 - 18 months before you start pulling the sticks.

Rhubarb Champagne

One year crowns from seed. Early variety, which can be forced to give early, pinkish tinged stems. Stems have a darker red base and color if not forced.

Rhubarb Fultons Strawberry Surprise

What a tantalizing name. Voted the best flavored Rhubarb in the RHS Wisley trials. Strong vigorous plants, produce flushes of vivid red stems making delicious pies or crumbles. Thompson & Morgan have teamed up with the RHS to offer the first AGM cultivators from its 112 plant National Collection of Rhubarbs. This has historically been held at RHS Harlow Carr in Yorkshire, the center of the rhubarb growing industry, then later moved to RHS Wisley in Surrey. These cultivators have been increased in number by using a specialist micro-propagation laboratory to eliminate virus and provide healthy plant-lets, which are potted on to form a small crown ready for planting. Although these plants are young they will quickly mature, resulting in crowns big enough to harvest from 2 years after planting. A very eye-appealing variety making it ideal for planting in vegetable or flower gardens as well as making an attractive and productive container plant.

Rhubarb Giant Grooveless Crimson

A compact plant that produces many uniform, fully colored bright red stems up to 30cm (12in) tall with a flavor that is less acidic than many cultivators. These cultivators have been increased in number by using a specialist micro-propagation laboratory to eliminate virus and provide healthy plant-lets, which are potted on to form a small crown ready for planting Although these plants are young they will quickly mature, resulting in crowns big enough to harvest from 2 years after planting.

Rhubarb Stockbridge Arrow

From Budded Crowns. Increasing reputation as one of the best modern rhubarb varieties. The long and tender stems show good red color throughout.

Rhubarb Timperley

From Budded Crowns. The earliest maturing rhubarb, often forced so as to provide tender pink sticks as early as February, but it can also be grown unforced in the normal way.

Rhubarb Victoria

One year crowns from seed. Our one year old crowns quickly establish and can be cropped lightly the year after planting and regularly from the second year.

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