By David Graper
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is another one of the first vegetables that we harvest from our gardens. However, unlike asparagus, rhubarb is usually eaten more as a dessert than as a main course vegetable dish but it is used in some savory dishes too. It is also commonly used in making jams and jellies. Wine can also be made from rhubarb, sometimes mixed with the juice from a fruit like strawberries.
About Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable that can be very long-lived, often being productive for 20 years or more. Rhubarb starts growing early in the spring producing mostly just large leaves that can become up to 2’ across on petioles that may be up to 30” in length. The petioles are the part that we eat. While many people may refer to those as stalks or stems, we do not see stems until a flower spike grows up from the crown, which is a true stem. The petiole is the proper name of the plant part that connects the leaf blade to the stem or crown in this case. Otherwise most of the time we just see a large rosette of very large leaves. A mature plant can spread out over a 3 to 4’ area. While we most often see people growing rhubarb in their vegetable gardens, they are rather ornamental so they can be grown in the landscape or even as a foundation plant up next to the house. There are even ornamental species and cultivars that are available.
Varieties
There are many different varieties of rhubarb available. Probably the most striking difference between them is the color of the stalks, which may range from green to deep red with pink and speckled ones available too. Many gardeners and cooks prefer the red-colored stalks because in many cases that red color is retained following cooking or baking, making for a more colorful finished product. Flavor and sugar content can also vary between different varieties but generally no matter which one you choose, you will likely find yourself adding a fair bit of sugar or another sweetener to make this tart treat more palatable.
Care & Management
Plant rhubarb in a full sun location or one that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight during the day. It should be planted in a well-drained soil, preferably one with a good organic matter content. Rhubarb is usually planted as a piece of rhizome, a potted plant or in some cases from seed but planting the rhizome is by far the most common, especially for any cultivars that you might want to grow. The rhizome piece should be planted about 3” deep. Make sure that any buds or signs of new growth are pointed upward. If you are planting your rhubarb using an already established plant in a pot, plant it so that the plant is growing at about the same depth as it was growing in the pot. Firm the soil around the rhizome piece or new plant and water well. An organic mulch around the plant will help maintain moisture and help retard weed growth. Continue watering regularly during the first year – the plant will wilt fairly quickly during dry conditions at first. More established rhubarb plants are more drought tolerant. Established plants can be fertilized by sprinkling about a half cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer around the base of the plant and scratching it into the soil. An organic fertilizer can also be used, but you will need to use more, depending on the analysis of the fertilizer.
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