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year you can harvest a small amount (I do not recommend removing more than 1/3 1/2 of the plant this first year after planting. Again, restraint will pay off with future harvests.

The second year of the plant, you can harvest the entire plant. Simply break the stalks off at the ground or cut them with a sharp knife. I usually harvest no more than half the plant early in the season and at the end of the season, you can harvest more. After separating the stalks from the plant, remove the leaf and dispose of where pets and children cannot reach the clippings.

After harvesting, I water the crop with a hose left to run and fill the trench the plants grow in. I believe this helps them to better handle the harvest. The large leaves protect the soil around the base of the plants, shading the harsh summer sun from directly drying the soil out. Watering helps put moisture into the soil while the plant sends up additional stalks.

Fertilizing is done with a 10-10-10 fertilizer early in spring when the first plants have started showing. A granule fertilizer works and the rhubarb will respond very well to fertilization. A light watering if spring showers are inadequate to wet the granules to disperse the fertilizer.

Rhubarb will begin to shoot up seed stalks once it reaches maturity. Seed stalks can actually be quite decorative while not being detrimental to the plant; however, the plant expends a great amount of energy into the seeding producing less stalks. If you wish to increase stalk growth, cut the seed stalk as soon as it shows. Seeding attempts may continue and it will be necessary to cut additional seed shafts when they appear.

If you have a large quantity of plants, you may wish to allow the plant to seed every few years. Seeding will help maintain a constant supply of rhubarb through the years. A typical plant is productive in stalks for approximately 8-15 years. Once it is no longer productive, plants from seeds should be able to take over the crop production.

The seedlings' early life is sheltered under the leaves of the producing older plants allowing more time for smaller plants to mature.

To prepare the plants for cold winter temperatures, layer compost, manure, or leaves over the tops of the plants. This will provide a layer of protection from winter winds.

There is no weed killer approved as safe for use around rhubarb. What this means is that weed killer applied to remove unwanted plant growth from your rhubarb growing area may also kill the plants you are

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