Rhubarb

This sour Asian plant is one of my favorites in my garden. He lasts through the winter without special care and starts producing vibrant red stalks as soon as spring arrives.
Today I will share with you my tips on maintaining and multiplying a rhubarb plant!


Rhubarb is a pretty plant with, variable to the kind you have, big lovely green leaves on gorgeous red or green stalks. Rhubarb loves a sunny spot in rich soil but also fares well in a slight shade. Rhubarbs have thick red/brown roots.

The leaves take up a lot of space.

I want to multiply my rhubarb!

Awesome. More rhubarb = always better. Easiest way is to dig out your rhubarb in late summer or early autumn and hack them in two with a spade. Plant out both halves with ample space. The still warm earth will allow the plant to settle in easily. 
I have gotten my rhubarb in early spring, and it also fared very well. 

You can also collect seeds from a blooming rhubarb. Mind you, seeds from one plant will give you a variety of different plants in return. Pick the plants you like best to keep and multiply some more. Plants with red stalks are sweeter but will give you less harvest. Plants with green stalks will give a more bountiful harvest.

My rhubarb is blooming, what do I do?!

Good question. My housemate has a rhubarb that decided to bloom this year and since it is a small plant, I let it bloom. I was very interested to see what a blooming rhubarb looks like. I do not expect any good harvest from this plant but I will try and collect some seeds from it to plant out early spring next year. 
If you do want to harvest from your blooming rhubarb and/or are not interested in the flowers and seeds, cut out the flower stalk as soon as possible. Blooming will take a lot of energy which your rhubarb will be withholding from your harvest.

Rhubarb roots are a gorgeous red brown.

I have rhubarb seeds, what do I do?

In early spring, put your seeds in a pot with rich soil and give them lots of sunshine. Like all seeds, make sure they don't dry out, especially in the beginning. Your baby rhubarb will be ready for the big world (the ground) in late summer or early autumn. The still warm ground will give them time to settle in before winter. 

Rhubarb produces vibrant red or green stalks.

I want to harvest!

Yes, the best part of taking care of a rhubarb. Harvesting. 
Never cut a rhubarb. The remaining ends of the stalks will rot and thus corrupt your plant. 
Pull on the stalk with a slight downward motion. You will see a little 'heel' on the stalk when it comes off. Cut off the leaf and feed it to your compost heap. 

In the first two years after planting, harvest very little or even better, nothing to let the plant grow to its maximum potential. 
In any case, never harvest all the stalks, leave about five. The plant needs these for growth and to help it store energy for winter. 
Don't harvest after the beginning of July, so your rhubarb will have plenty of time to prepare for winter. 


So these are my top tips for taking care of a rhubarb. Feel free to ask any questions down below.