Rhubarb is a perennial member of the family Polygonaceae, so it is related to buckwheat and knotweed.
Rhubarb is an essential addition to the perennial vegetable bed. It will produce year after year, and it’s easy to grow from seed.
As a food plant, rhubarb is grown for its thick, fibrous petioles, or stalks, that connect large triangular leaves to the deep-running root system.
The stalks may be bright to dull red, pink, or even white, but all have a tart acidic flavour.
They are the only part of the plant that is edible and while you can eat them raw, many people prefer them cooked.
Rhubarb stalks may be chopped and then stewed with sugar, spices, lemon juice, and sometimes other fruit to produce a distinctive sweet meal.
Timing: Sow indoors early spring and transplant or direct sow about 8 weeks after the last frost date where plants are to grow permanently.
Optimal soil temperature for germination is 16-25°C (50-75°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-10 days.
Sowing: Rhubarb is cold hardy and drought tolerant. Choose a sunny spot with any well drained, moderately fertile garden soil.
One plant will satisfy the needs of one household. Sow 2cm (¾”) deep, but plan for large plants – in rows 1.8-2.4m (6-8’) apart and plants 120cm (48”) apart.
Growing: Mulch around plants in fall with finished compost or well rotted manure.
Rhubarb can tolerate acidic soils but thrive in pH level of 6.0 — 6.8.
Be patient for the first year and a half after sowing and do not harvest as plants need to become established prior to the first harvest. In the second year, remove flower stalks as they appear.
After growth stops in the fall, the plants go dormant, and require a period below 4°C (40°F) to stimulate good spring bud growth.
Note: Divide plants every 4-5 years. A well-maintained plant should produce for over a decade.
Harvesting: After the first year of undistributed growth, cut the tart red stalks all at once or selectively as required.
Pests and Disease: These tough plants are trouble-free. Watch for slugs around new seedlings.
Storage: Refrigerate cut stalks quickly. These can be kept by themselves, but when the bottom ends are submerged in water, they may remain crispier.
Rhubarb’s stalks are an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin A. This is an essential vitamin for bone health and blood clotting and may also help fight free radicals that cause skin damage and premature aging.
It’s rich in antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins (which give it its red color) and proanthocyanidins. These antioxidants have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, which help protect you from many health-related issues including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.