Growing Guides How to grow rhubarb

Date Published:

07/02/2008

Caring guide

Rhubarb should be grown in a sunny spot with a reasonably-fertile and well-drained soil.

To prepare the planting site, thoroughly dig over the ground and mix plenty of well-rotted compost (or manure) into the soil a few weeks before planting.

A general organic fertiliser should also be raked into the ground a week before planting.

. During the growing season, keep the rhubarb well watered in dry weather, remove any weeds and flowering shoots that appear and clear away the dead leaves at the end of the growing season. Once established, the plants will benefit from a mulch of garden compost in the late winter or early spring and should be fed with a general organic fertiliser at the end of the harvesting period.

Harvesting guide

Rhubarb plants should not be harvested until their second growing season.

The individual stems are best picked by holding them near to ground level and then pulling upwards in a twisting motion. Do not remove all the stems in one go (leave at least three in place) and stop harvesting in late June – this will give the plants a few months to continue growing and recover their strength for the following season.

The stems can be used as required, or chopped-up and frozen (for up to a year) in plastic bags. The leaves of rhubarb are poisonous, although they are perfectly safe to place on the compost heap.