Growing Rhubarb is Easy

By Sue Nielsen

Of everything edible growing in our yard, the rhubarb requires the least attention and produces fruit for the longest amount of time. The tart flavour is delicious in many recipes including fruit drinks, canned fruit, muffins, jams and jellies, as well as many desserts including pies. It is also an excellent choice to add to other fruits in any of the recipes already mentioned. Rhubarb grows wild throughout the prairies, flourishing in the cold climate. Growing rhubarb is easy as it is an extremely hardy perennial which can last for decades with very little care.

Growing rhubarb starts with chunks of root or crowns, available in either red or green varieties. The color denotes the color of the stalks that will be produced, with the red generally being more desirable because the flavour is sweeter. Roots obtained from someone else's established, divided plant, will be in full production sooner than those just purchased. For the first three years, a lot of the energy the plant has should go into the formation of a strong, healthy root system to ensure growing a strong, healthy rhubarb plant for many years. During this time, harvest lightly.

The best growing medium for rhubarb is composted manure but any composted material will be beneficial. Since the plant will be there for years make sure to place it in an appropriate location. Dig a hole larger and deeper than the roots to be planted. Set the crowns just below the surface of the dirt, mixing a little bone meal into the soil underneath. Replace some of the soil dug out, along with some of the composted manure, and some sand. Firm in, and keep moist at least until new growth appears. It likes the ground around to be worked, but not right next to the roots. It will do best in the open where it gets a lot of sun. Plants can be top dressed with composted manure throughout the growing season to encourage the rhubarb to multiply and be productive.

Stalks should never be cut. Always break them off at the base of the plant by pulling, while bending down and away from the center. Young new stalks are more tender than older, more mature ones but all are edible. All the flower spikes growing should be removed as soon as they appear so the rhubarb does not expend its energy trying to produce seeds. These may need to be removed more than once. The leaves, which contain oxalic acid, are poisonous to man and animals. These huge leaves make excellent mulch, as do any weeds that have been cut. They need to be applied thick enough to smother any new growth, and while doing that they supply nutrients to the soil around the growing rhubarb plants.

When you start to notice the center of the plants dying off, it is time to divide and replant, discarding the dead center. The easiest way to see what you have is to dig up the plant and then start dividing. You will be able to see sections of the plant that form naturally divisible clumps. Each new section of crown should have new shoots in it.

We have four large rhubarb plants in the middle of a flower bed. Thirteen years ago, there were just two rhubarb plants in the middle of the lawn. It is a good location for a flower bed, so each rhubarb plant got divided in half, and a large mound of composted manure put in the middle. There are two plants on each side of the mound. The mound has a variety of flowers in it, and the rest of the flowers grow in a large horseshoe shape around the rhubarb plants. There is more fibre in rhubarb than in any other fruit. We like rhubarb, and the four plants produce way more than we can use, so we freeze some for winter use. Watch for our family's favourite recipe. We hope you enjoy growing and eating rhubarb as much as we do.

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