Rhubarb

[SallyJ]

I have just moved into a house with a mature Rhubarb plant. Can anyone give me any advice on how ofter I should pull the Rhubarb?

[vivie veg]

I'm sorry nobody has replied to your simple request, I don't usually visit Harvesting Q&A or I would have replied earlier.

I start my harvesting by putting an empty compost bin over the clump in mid February, the bin has no bottom, so the rhubarb is encourage to grown quickly in the dark, warm conditions created inside the compost bin.These first sticks can be harvested when ready - generally March in good weather. The compost bin is then removed and used for it's proper purpose. Further pulling in Rhubarb are done as the plant develope 3 or more sticks from each growing point. I leave the oldest one and pull the second biggest. I continue pulling as I want it or when 3 or more sticks are growing until mid July. I then leave the plant to lay down reserves in the roots ready for next year.

[jane E]

rhubarb responds well to a bit of care. I inherited a pile of weedy looking rhubarb with thin stems at our new house. I resited it digging it in with plenty of manure. I then left it alone for a year to build its strength. This year I picked for a couple of months and have left it to build up reserves again.Rhubarb will give back what it has stored up. So feed well with manure in early spring and pick according to how well the stems are growing. Always give it time to recover in the growing season and build up reserves for the next year.

[Chantal]

I inherited three crowns of rhubarb, planted by the previous tenant but only the year before I took over the plot; they are now 2.5 years old. The problem is he planted them too deep and although they are flourishing they are a nightmare to pull as they snap off.

What's the best time to lift the crowns and replant and how deep should I replant? Should I take a load of leaves off? Should I leave any on? Finally, how far apart should I plant them as he has them VERY close together.

[Johnboy]

Hi Chantal,
It is said that the best time to plant Rhubarb is after they die back for the winter and before February. Sadly I feel that you would have to leave them the customary year before picking so in order to continue to have some Rhubarb it may be best to do a plant a year or something similar.

[Chantal]

Thanks JB, I'll be able to move them all when they die back as I do have another 3 plants which are just fine.

How far apart should I plant them?

[Mike Vogel]

Sally and others, I wrote to Chase Organics [the Organic Catalogue] for advice about harvesting rhubarb, as I had been told that after July the stems may become poisonous as a result of seepage into the from the leaves ( which are if eaten). This was their reply, which includes advice on harvesting from new crowns:

Thank you for your recent enquiry to Garden Organic.
You can reassure your friends that your rhubarb is perfectly safe to eat. It is only ever the leaves which are poisonous on ingestion. It does say in many books not to pick after July and the reason for this is that picking after this time deprives the roots of energy produced by the leaves. This energy is stored in the roots and used to produce a good crop next year. If your rhubarb patch is well established then this shouldn't really be problematic. Just pick sporadically and you won't do any harm. When planting a new crown in spring you should not take any stems until the autumn and then only very few. You can pick freely in the second year.
Hope this helps

Yours sincerely
Lucy Packer

Ditto

mike
Garden Organic Advisor