Does Anyone Grow Rhubarb?

[ksr]

Calling all you vegetable gardeners! Do any of you grow rhubarb? I need to know if I'm fretting too early. After several years of wanting to, I finally created a new bed and planted 3 rhubarb plants last year. Did not harvest any of the stalks, and watched over them like a mother-hen.

Two of them were "McDonald" and one was "Canada Red". The Canada Red is starting to poke through with one little leaf already. But there is no sign of life from the McDonalds yet. Should I be seeing signs of growth at this point? Just wondering if I'll need to be replacing them this year.

 

[bruce1]

Mine is up but I do not know what kind it is. I am south of Hamilton Ontario near lake Erie. See if you can find out if one is a later kind than the other.

 

[travelover]

Previous owner planted a 6" x 10" plot and it has been coming up like weeds for 20 years now. I can't give it away, though we make a few pies each year. One really good thing about it - the deer don't eat it

 

[Goonie]

I grow rhubarb here in north-central IL....Zone 5. Normally all of my clumps come up at just about the same time...however, once in a while one clump will be slow to poke through in the Spring. My neighbor's rhubarb patch started coming up almost a week before mine, and it's right on the other side of the cylcone fence....same soil, smae sunlight, same everything except mailing address. ;-)

One major thing that will retard or inhibit growth of rhubarb....especially recently planted rhubarb...is if it was planted too deep. Rhubarb doesn't like to planted very deeply at all....normally should be just slightly below the soil's surface.

Since the rhubarb that's not yet showing it's face is a different variety, I'd say give it a little more time. It might just start a bit later than the variety that's up right now.

 

[Khan]

Neighbor used to. Personally, I don't consider it food.

 

[ksr]

Thanks, everyone, for your input on this. I see some growth from a second plant, so at least two out of the three I planted last year have made it back for another season, yay!

Goonie, you mentioned the planting depth. I'm pretty sure I got this right because I had done some research on rhubarb and planting instructions before I planted last year. However, I did put down a few inches of mulch to protect the bed at the end of fall. I'm wondering if this might have been a bad idea. Any thoughts?

 

[Nodak]

Once it's established rhubarb is almost impossible to kill. It grows here in northern North Dakota with temperatures regularly -25 to -40 in mid January. I've never done anything to encourage it to grow, no watering or mulching or winter protection. It comes up every year with no problems. I like to eat it raw with a little salt.

 

[Goonie]

.....However, I did put down a few inches of mulch to protect the bed at the end of fall. I'm wondering if this might have been a bad idea. Any thoughts?

No, mulching is OK! If the mulch is still on it, you should probably remove it now, so the soil can warm up a bit faster....the mulch will keep the soil cooler longer....removing it will allow for better solar heating.

I have 3 patches of rhubarb....2 are up and doing fine....the 3rd is always a late arriver.....same variety, same growing conditions....just a a late starter. So there's still hope for the rest of yours!!!

 

[BOBOT]

Neighbor used to. Personally, I don't consider it food.

Then you have not had a strawberry/rhubarb pie; your life is not whole.

 

[Goonie]

Then you have not had a strawberry/rhubarb pie; your life is not whole.

I LOVE strawberry/rhubarb pie!!!

It's #1 on my "Favorite Pie" list.....followed closely by every other kind of pie!!!

 

[travelover]

When I was a kid I used to pick a stalk and just eat it there in the garden. Kinda like sucking on a lemon, but not as sweet.

 

[Free To Canoe]

I want to start a patch. Best kind?

Free to canoe

 

[bruce1]

Then you have not had a strawberry/rhubarb pie; your life is not whole.

The only one I like better is elderberry

 

[ksr]

A few years ago a friend of mine served me a piece of her homemade apple-rhubarb pie. It was heavenly. In fact, it's what convinced me to grow my own rhubarb.