Rhubarb Question

[horsechick]

Hi,
I was looking for Rhubarb and have realized I don't know how it grows?
I don't think I have ever seen it for sale in the stores?
I have tried to find seeds at stores, can't find.
Will stores have plants later in the season?
How can I get some to start?
Thank you,
Angela

 

[tinychicken]

I buy most of my seeds from Territorial Seed Company. I am looking at their catalog now and they sell rhubarb seeds and roots. They say they ship the roots mid to late March, so it's probably too late for them.

http://www.territorialseed.com/prod_detail_list/s

 

[pjkobulnicky]

Angela ... it grows from root divisions. Do you know anyone who has some? If so, just ask for a root division ... a piece off of the root. It is best to do in the fall ... dig up a plant and divide it so that each division has some of the growing "crown" Plant it in loose soil with a LOT of manure in a sunny location. It make take a few years of being left alone before you can harvest the stalks at will. Once established it is good for generations.

Or ...get a plant online or from your local nursery. Then plant as above. Spring planting is OK but you still can't get any for a few years.

Paul

 

[patandchickens]

You can start it from seed but unless you are in NO hurry for rhubarb pie, get bareroot crowns (possibly too late in teh season now) or potted plants. They will probably be something liek $5-8 per plant, tho I confess I don't know US pricing (here they are $10 in spring or $5 in fall ).

They look like giant bushy overgrown chard or kale -- nice sort of ruffly/bulgy dark green leaves, on red stalks of course, something like 3' across and 2-3' tall on a mature established plant. They make a tall flower stalk, something like a giant scraggly astilbe blossom, but you should snap it off as it starts growing to preserve the plant's strength.

If you buy rhubarb as a plant, you should not harvest from it at all the first year, not very much the second year, and cautiously-to-normally the third, depending on how it's been doing. It is a very long-lived perennial (amend the soil well and deeply before planting!) and eventually you can divide it to make more plants.

Pat

 

[wailingbanshee]

Might not be too late in the season. This weather had slowed down many things.

Go to WalMart, KMart, Home Depot, grocery store, etc.
There is normally a stand of boxed plants - strawberries, bulbs, you name it - anyway, I've also seen rhubarb in those boxes.

Looks like Gurneys.com has a large variety.

Put a request on freecycle. I have a friend who walks around her neighborhood and cuts rhubarb from all the plants no one cares about anymore. You could probably get a shovel full from somewhere.

Good luck

 

[silkiechicken]

I started mine from a division off a friends plant who one year was one plant, and 15 years later was growing underneath every shrub in their yard. It seems to really like to grow here in the PNW so if you can find a variety from someone that has them growing well in their yard locally, a cutting this fall from the plant would be best in my opinion. Hiowever, micro climates can make a difference.

 

[OCMG]

I just purchased some from home depot:
Here is what they say:
rhubarb, victoria $3.48 for 2 roots.full to part shade.
Plant roots after last frost;

So it is not too late, I didn't plant mine yet.

You do not harvet the stems the first year, they have to supply nutrients to the roots after that have fun!
As someone here said it does take too long to grow from seed, I bought the roots so it would be a little quicker.

Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

If you want an earlier harvest from healthier plants, get pot-grown ones from a reputable nursery or garden center.

Those shrivelled dried (or already-sprouted-and-growing-leaves) things in boxes at Walmart are not going to give you the healthiest plants, and it will take longer before you can harvest. I would NOT NOT plan on picking ANYthing from them the first year, probably not the first two.

Plus, wouldn't you rather support a garden center that a) has healthier better plants, b) is probably locally owned, even if some or most of their plants are grown by a giant corporation far far away c) might even grow a buncha their own plants locally!, and d) has people who can give you good advice and suggestions, as opposed to what you will get at walmart or home depot.




Pat

 

[pjkobulnicky]

This is an issue that affects all new gardeners ... why wait to plant ... I am eager now and it can be done so, by golly, let's do it!

Rhubarb planted in the spring or in the summer will probably make it alive to the next year but Rhubarb planted in the fall will thrive. You will probably be further ahead in the long run by waiting. Spend the summer scouting out a local plant in your neighborhood and trade a cutting for something good from your kitchen. Then ... prepare the spot with good manure and compost for the fall planting.

Paul

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly I have had just as good results with rhubarb bought in spring as bought in fall -- it may vary regionally, and with the nature of the soil it's put in.

But, that said, one argument for waiting til fall for rhubarb is that you can usually get it on sale - just check that it has not suffered too much stress from erratic watering over the summer.

Pat