Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Rhubarb
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Planting
Rhubarb grows best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
Choose a site with soil that is well-draining and fertile. Good drainage is essential, as rhubarb will rot if kept too wet. Mix compost, rotted manure, or anything high in organic matter into the soil. Rhubarb plants are heavy feeders and need this organic matter. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
Rhubarb gets big! It can grow to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Make sure you choose a site where it won’t be crowded.
When to Plant Rhubarb
- Rhubarb can be planted in late fall or early spring.
- Plant rhubarb crowns after dormancy have set in in the fall, and you’ll have rhubarb cropping in the spring!
- In spring, plant crowns when the soil is workable, when the roots are still dormant, and before growth begins (or as plants are just beginning to leaf out). If you have a temperature gauge, soil temperature should be 50°F minimum.
How to Plant Rhubarb
- Plant 1-year-old rhubarb crowns, which you can find at a garden center, or nursery, or order online. Plants will be sold as bare-rooted specimens or young plants already growing in pots, ready for transplanting. (Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but this is not recommended.)
- Before planting, eliminate all perennial weeds in the planting site.
- Dig large, bushel-basket-size holes.
- Space rhubarb plants about 2 to 4 feet apart and 3 to 4 feet between rows.
- Plant crowns so the eyes are about 2 inches below the soil surface with buds facing up.
- Water well at the time of planting.
Check out this video to learn more about how to plant rhubarb:
Growing
Overcrowding is a common problem with rhubarb and can lead to subpar growth. Dig and split rhubarb roots every 3 to 4 years. Divide when plants are dormant in early spring (or late fall). Divisions should have at least one large bud on them.
- Mulch generously with a heavy layer of straw to retain moisture and discourage weeds.
- Water your plant well and consistently. Rhubarb needs sufficient moisture, especially during the hot, dry summer days.
- Remove seed stalks as soon as they appear, as they will only drain energy from the plant that could be used to produce stalks or roots.
- Each spring, apply a light sprinkling of a fertilizer (10-10-10) when the ground is thawing or has just thawed. See your local frost dates.
- In the fall, remove all plant debris. Once your ground freezes, it’s best to cover rhubarb with 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch, preferably well-rotted compost. By adding nitrogen to the soil, you’re preparing the rhubarb plants for a good spring season.
Types
These common varieties have attractive red stalks and excellent growers:
- ‘Canada Red’
- ‘Crimson Red’
- ‘MacDonald’
- ‘Valentine’
In addition to the previous four, there is a reliable, green-stalked cultivar named:
- ‘Victoria’
Cooking Notes
Check out our list of best rhubarb recipes to put your fresh rhubarb to good use! Plus, learn how to make a rhubarb tonic.
Catherine Boeckmann
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When your rhubarb goes to seed, or bolts, it can be due to heat, such as an unusually warm period in spring. Or, it can happen due to stress, such as not enough water. Certain varieties also tend to bolt more than others. When you see a flower stalk forming, you might want to cut it off at the base (don’t twist the stalk; instead, use a knife or pruning shears to make a clean cut on these tougher stalks). This way, the plant can focus its energy on forming leaf stalks. To help prevent bolting, you can add mulch to keep roots cool during warm spells. Be sure that the plant is getting enough water, light, and nutrients, and isn’t overcrowded.
I live in southern TN. I am about 40 miles north of the MS. boarder. I have checked with some catalogs and it says I can grow rhubarb here, but locals here say you can't. Could I grow it in containers? I am from upstate NY and miss having it to make jam.
Hi, Carol. In southern Tennessee, rhubarb won’t be as healthy or robust as it would be if grown in an area with cooler, moist summers and winters with temperatures that freeze the soil. You can try growing in containers, but your rhubarb will likely be short lived.
We planted two rhubarb plants this spring and haven’t touched them so they could get well established, but now they are huge! Do we just leave them or should I pick some before winter arrives?
Hi Andy,
You did well not to harvest any earlier, but the frost will kill off everything that remains: Harvest as much as you want, discard the leaves, and spread a layer of mulch around the base of the plant to help to protect the roots during winter. Thanks for writing!
can I freeze rhubarb until I get enough to cook?? if not how do I save for later use??
Cut the rhubarb into small pieces (about 1-inch long) and lay them in one layer on a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and wait until rhubarb is frozen–a few hours. Remove baking sheet and pack rhubarb into freezer safe zip-close bags. If you are storing rhubarb for more than a few months, you will need to blanch it before freezing.
I have a very healthy looking rhubarb plant. How late can I harvest it? It looks good but I'm nervous about it. Does it go bad before a frost?
You can follow the guidelines above as to how many weeks to harvest—through end of summer, before the first frost, is usually fine. Schedule just a few weeks of harvest, then give the plant time to recover, especially for winter. For each plant, harvest only about one third of the stalks. Plants should be mature (at least 3 years old) before starting to fully harvest. Stalks should be firm, not soft. Rhubarb usually can tolerate temperatures in the low 30s, even upper 20s (degrees F), but can suffer damage below that. One has to be careful about rhubarb, because if the leaves suffer cold damage, the oxalic acid from the leaves may filter into the stalks, making them toxic as well. Signs of cold damage are blackened, shriveled, limp leaves and limp, mushy stalks. If you see any damage to either leaf or stalk, discard both leaf and stalk.
I've had rhubarb for years (stalks red about half way up, then green). Seeing the beautiful red stalks from top to bottom in catalog pictures, I decided I wanted some. Ordered (Victoria) and planted last year. Plant looks beautiful--multiple stalks and quite healthy. Only problem: the stalks are green from head to toe; maybe a hint of pink at the base of some--not at all like the picture in the catalog. So. . . does it take time to develop the red color? Does it need some specific nutrients to develop the color? Did they send me the wrong variety? Or is this just one of those "1%" or such that don't develop the color?
