Kitchen Garden Forum

What is the correct spacing for Rhubarb?

I would like the definative answer on this before I advise one of our in-experienced newbies, who has just planted thirty Rhubarb plants on his plot, two fifteen foot rows, plants one foot apart, rows one foot apart.

I thought at least three foot from anything else?

Regards, Peter.

I always use the 'three foot' spacing. Established clumps can get pretty big.
What on earth is he going to do with THIRTY plants - I would have thought three plants, preferably of different varieties, would be more than enough.
John

John, I know, three of us stood next to his plot with much shaking of heads and wondering what he would do with it all .

I reckon he must have had one at home and dug it up, then planted each "bud" seperately.

Regards, Peter.

I have a cunning plan for your fellow allotmenteer!

As you know newly planted crowns are left for a year to get established and then only cropped lightly in their second year - after that they should be OK. So you have to wait quite a long time before you get any decent rhubarb.
Your man could mark every third crown in the row and leave these to grow on unpicked to eventually form his permanent rhubarb bed. The intermediate crowns could be sacrificed this year and next by cropping and then dug out as they weaken and be discarded thus leaving every third crown, now well established, at a sensible spacing.
This way he will have a supply of rhubarb right from the start. I bet this was his idea all along!

John

I planted mine 3 feet apart and they only just have eanough room
Fuchsia

It would have made better sense if he were using seed, in which case one plants a lot then picks the best variant for further propogation. However from what you say these are identical clones and if that is not a named variety there is no point in it. It is said that you are better off to buy a crown that has been propogated vegetatively from stock so treated for generations on account that it won't go to seed quite so readily, but this is of doubtful truth. Feed the rhubarb well, take out any seed heads and all should be well. I have a very large patch of Timperley Early that will have to be removed quite soon to make better use of its polytunnel space, I cannot remember seeing seed heads on it. The original came from Woolworths in packs, I lost most of them as they just rotted off, the survivors were put in the tunnel and never looked back. I don't approve of the idea of growing grom seed just to sell the seedlings on. Batches Bargains have masses for sale, posh labels (and price!)but no identity whatsoever.
Allan

Bumped into the thirty plant man last night.

Turns out that he had this big clump of rhubarb at home next to the shed, so when he got his allotment he dug it up and divided it. He got thirty buds, so he planted thirty and is waiting to see how they do.

He mentioned that he threw a number of other buds, that looked like they had insufficient root, into the compost bin at home and had been pleasantly surprised some days later when about to chuck some more stuff in to find "all this lovely pink rhubarb tapping on the lid to be let out".

Live and learn eh?