Harvest Rhubarb

Edible rhubarb (Rheum x cultorum) is one of the few perennial vegetables, making it a very versatile part of garden produce. It is treated as a soft fruit and is usually eaten stewed or baked into cakes and other baked goods.

Even though it's a very undemanding vegetable to grow, harvesting it is no different from any garden produce in its need to be harvested at the right time and in the right way and, in some respects, this is a little tricky. You do need to be patient because you won't see a good crop from rhubarb until its third or fourth year, but it's worth the wait. This article explains how to harvest your rhubarb plants for maximum potential.

Steps

  1. Choose the right time to harvest. The harvesting period for rhubarb is late spring through to the end of summer.
  2. Harvest according to the age of the rhubarb. It is important not to pull any stalks in the plant's first year of growth, as doing that will seriously weaken the establishing Grow Rhubarb. Allow each rhubarb plant to establish a strong root system the first year and leave the stalks intact (they'll come and go of their own accord).
    • In the second season, only Harvest Cranberries in the first two weeks and only select the stalks that are large enough, always leaving plenty on the plant.
    • In subsequent years, you can harvest rhubarb throughout the harvest period. From the third year on, you should find that the rhubarb can be harvested for a period of around 8 to 10 weeks.[1]
  3. Know when a stalk is ready for harvesting. Rhubarb stalks are ready when they are between 1.5cm/0.5" and 2.5cm/1" wide. They should be quite firm, and show an even dark pinkish or maroon colour.
  4. Harvest the stalks by twisting. Pull a stalk as close as possible to the base of the plant.
    • Pull gently, whilst twisting to ensure it comes away neatly. Rhubarb stalks should always be twisted clean from the crown, as twisting or pulling removes the most plant and invigorates the roots to produce more. Never dig or cut the plant as these don't produce the same vigorous growth.
    • If it is the rhubarb plant's second season, only pull two stalks per plant, leaving at least five healthy stalks to continue growing.
    • In following seasons, it's fine to remove three or four stalks per plant, as long as you leave a similar amount of stems still growing. It's recommended that you only harvest a third of the plant's harvest every season to avoid over-stressing the rhubarb plant.[2]
  5. Tidy the rhubarb plant. Never leave any broken stalks on the rhubarb plant as these can cause infections to grow. Remove any broken pieces from the base of the plant and either eat or discard them.
    • Leave three to four mature leaves on the plant; these will help the rhubarb to grow vigorously.[3]
    • Remove any flowering stalks when you notice them.
  6. Pull or cut the leaves from the stalk. The leaves contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous and should not be eaten. Discard of these or add to the compost. Or make a rhubarb spray from the leaves to keep the pests off your broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
    • Do not feed to animals either!
  7. Finish harvesting before exhausting the rhubarb plant. Harvesting of rhubarb should cease once all of the stalks become thin again or when you've already harvested a third of the plant.
  8. Store the rhubarb properly. While freshly picked rhubarb is best used as soon as possible after harvesting, it can be kept in a polyethylene bag in the fridge for up to three weeks.[2] The stalks can be frozen or bottled for longer term storage once they have been prepared.
    • To Make Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote, remove and discard leaves if not already done, chop the stalks into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces and stew in enough water to cover. Stewing doesn't take long, so keep an eye on them.

Tips

  • Leave labels next to your rhubarb plants after planting, to indicate the year that it was planted, so that you know the age.
  • Consider allowing each rhubarb plant to rest every other year. Try planting several so that you can harvest them on rotation.
  • Stand a wide pipe or large bottomless bucket over the crown of the plant. This will force the plant to grow longer stems.

Things You'll Need

  • Rhubarb crowns for planting in first year; plants for harvesting from
  • 1 hand fork
  • Gardening gloves (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Hazel White and Janet A Sanchez, The Edible Garden, p. 176, (2005), ISBN 0-376-03170-0
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Susanna Lyle, Discovering Fruit & Nuts, p. 376, (2006), ISBN 1-86953-621-5
  3. ↑ Jonathan Edwards and Peter McHoy, p. 107, (2006), ISBN 1-84477-336-1

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