rhubarb

Rhubarb                                                                  Teske

Long Living Perennial Vegetable Grows In Lots Of Quad City Backyards

Rhubarb is a long lived, hardy perennial vegetable.  Only the stems are eaten.  The leaves and roots contain high levels of oxalic acid.  An overdose of oxalic acid can be life threatening.  Even the stems are thought to contain some and may not be desirable for people with gout, kidney disorders and rheumatoid arthritis.  Oxalic acid is known to bind with calcium, making the body unable to use the calcium.  Rhubarb is naturally bitter and most often sweetened with sugar.

Planting Rhubarb

  • Rhubarb must be planted where winters reach at least near freezing temperatures so that it is encouraged to go dormant followed by a flush of spring growth.
  • Plant in full sun in well drained fertile soil.  Add compost liberally.
  • Rhubarb crowns are best planted in early spring when plants are beginning to leaf out.
  • Allow one square yard of space for each plant.
  • Add fertilizer when planting.
  • Do not plant too deep.
  • Water during dry weather and fertilize in spring and summer.

Harvest

  • Do not harvest the first year of planting.  Only harvest a few stems the second year.  Reap a full harvest from the third year on.
  • Harvest from late May through June.  Stop harvesting when only slender new stems are produced.  This means the plant is getting weak.
  • Never harvest more than one-third to one-half the stalks.
  • Pick stems when leaves first expand.  New young stems have the most flavor.
  • Never eat the leaves as they contain oxalic acid and it will poison you.  The leaves will not poison the compost pile, so they are safe to compost.
  • Color does not influence flavor.  Some varieties have deep red stems and some have green.  Green varieties are more vigorous plants with longer stalks.  Red varieties are more often used in pies.
  • According to the University of Minnesota, the stems do not get poisonous later in the season.  The reason for not harvesting in late summer is that the stems are tough and the plant will be harmed if it looses many leaves at this time.  If you pick only a few stems late in summer no one will be harmed, you or the plant.

Growing

  • If we get a late spring frost you can pick the stems as long as they are firm and upright.  It doesn't matter if the leaves are black.  Stems that are soft and mushy should not be eaten as they may contain oxalic acid crystals.  New stalks that develop after the frost damage are safe to eat.
  • Rhubarb may be divided when the plant is six to ten years old.  Divide in early spring.
  • Rhubarb is occasionally infected by crown rot.  This may show as plants that fail to sprout or that send up new sprouts that quickly wilt and die.
  • If you see flowers or seeds develop over the summer, remove them right away.  They are not needed and will drain the plant of strength. 
  • If you have any Wild Dock growing nearby, get rid of it.  It houses the snout beetle that will also attack rhubarb.