Rhubarb? Why not indeed? Something easy and different to grow in the garden and the time to plant them is coming up (August for most places).
Rhubarb are good looking plants and easy to grow and once they take, you can almost forget about them. Plants will live for a number of years, we inherited some over 12 years ago, out the back, in full sun and they just keep on going, even though I don’t get out that way to water them. So, pick a spot, ideally in well-drained soil, where they will get at least 3 – 4 hours of sunlight a day and that you do not intent to disturb with digging, as they could be there for a while.
When ready to plant
- Remove the weeds from the area and add aged animal manure or compost
- Trim any damaged leaves or roots from the crown
- Dig a 200mm hole with a mound in the centre
- Place the crown on the mound with the growing point facing up and level with the surface soil
- Cover with soil, but do not cover the tip of the crown
- If planting more than one, keep them about 500mm apart
- Water in well
- Keep moist (but not wet) until the first stalks appear
- Harvest in about 4 months or when the stalks are large enough to eat. Harvest individual stalks from the base of the plant until you have what you need
You can grow rhubarb in pots, but remember they get big, and the tubers / roots can grow through and block the bottom holes. At least a 75 litre pot will be needed.
And remember, you can’t eat the leaves, cut them off and put in the compost, just use the stalks.
And there you go, a nice bit of colour to the patch and very tasty, if you know how to cook them.
Enjoy!
Peter