Crimson Red Rhubarb

Planting & Care for Edible Plants – Rhubarb

Preparation

• This is a heavy producer. It has thick, tender stalks with a tart flavor that are excellent for pies and sauces.
• Plant the root-stocks at least 3 to 4 feet apart after your area’s last frost.
• The stems and leaves are large (some as long as 4 feet) so you’ll need to give the plants plenty of room.
• And because it’s a perennial, it will yield years of copious harvests with little trouble and few pests.
• Hardiness zone 3.
• Plant in fall and spring.
• Begin harvesting rhubarb plants the second year for two weeks. The third year, harvest for 6 weeks. After the third year, harvest until the stalks become thinner.
• When harvesting, gently pull the stem from the crown area of the root so you remove the stem’s base. Cutting off the stems with a knife leaves a stump to rot and perhaps introduce damaging insects to the plant. By pulling off the entire stem, you’ll actually create a spot for more leaves to form, so you can maintain production throughout summer.

Pruning - Through-out the Season

• Established clumps will have to be trimmed every 4 to 5 years or when the stalks get small and spindly or when the crown is visibly crowded. This will help the plant to keep growing nice thick stems. This is done by digging around and trimming the crown down to 4 or 5 buds.

Watering - After Planting

• If summer brings about one to one and a half inches of rainfall every week or so, you won’t need to use the hose. But if it gets really dry, you can give your new plant a good, thorough soaking. The best way to do this is to let your garden hose trickle slowly. This gives the water a chance to soak in instead of running off. You can also use a soaker hose to water several plants at once.

Watering - Through-out the Season

• Water newly planted crowns, and keep soil moist throughout the growing season. 
• How do you know if your plants need water? The easiest way to tell is to touch the soil around the roots. If it is moist, there is no need to water. If it is dry, give it a good soaking with the hose end (no nozzle) watering the soil only, not the leaves.
• Stick your finger into the soil around 3” to check soil moisture.

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