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Rhubarb is a plant that has a preference for cooler climates, and in fact will not do very well in locations where the winters don't get cold or where the summers get hot. For cooler climates however, rhubarb is fairly easy to grow, and since it comes up year after year it doesn't require yearly replanting.

The rhubarb plants can be grown from seeds, though they are more often grown from root cuttings and take a lot less time to mature to full production this way. The root is tuberous, and a section of root that is no more than four inches long is enough to establish a plant that will produce large numbers of rhubarb stalks, which is the part used.

Special note: Rhubarb leaves, though attractive, are poisonous. Do not eat the leaves. Many people make this mistake each year and must have prompt medical assistance when they do.

Plant the roots four to six inches deep, with the tuber laid parallel to the surface of the ground. The rhubarb plants should be planted about two to four feet apart to allow them plenty of room to expand as they grow.

The plants can grow in relatively poor soil, but they do better in well-fertilized and richer dirt. Fish parts buried near the roots can substantially increase the harvest and growth of the plant, though they also do well with composted manure. Composted rabbit and chicken manure are especially good for this.

As the plants grow, keep the rhubarb moist, but allow the ground to partly dry out between deep watering sessions. This will encourage the roots to grow stronger, healthier, and larger. In turn, this results in more rhubarb stalks and a heavier harvest.

The plants can live in excess of seven years in areas that don't get too hot, and the roots can be easily divided to produce more plants when the rhubarb is no more than three or four years old.

To separate the roots, dig up the plant, gently remove any soil that is on them, and cut four to six inch pieces of the tuber for immediate replanting. It is recommended that this be done in rotation; separate one plant in one year, and another plant in the next year. The reason for this is that the newly planted roots take up to three years to produce a full crop, and the plant that has been separated will take one or two years to fully recover.

Things to remember when growing rhubarb is that it requires wintertime temperatures of close to freezing in order to do well, it doesn't grow well if the summer temperatures are much over 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the flowering stalks should be removed when they form, to encourage more leaf stalk growth.

If there is any question about how prolific rhubarb can be, consider this: In the US, hundreds of thousands of acres are planted each year in corn, wheat, rye, oats, sugar beets, and various other vegetables. Yet in the US, the commercial acreage used for growing rhubarb amounts to far less than 5,000 acres total.

The stalks grow two to three feet high and can cover an area roughly the same distance around the plant. They are attractive and grow well in cold climates. They make delicious sauces and pies, especially when used with very sweet fruit like peaches. These are all good reasons to grow rhubarb in your garden. Give it a try, and be prepared to dig out that recipe for Rhubarb-Peach pie.

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
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