The ultimate rhubarb guide to growing, harvesting, preserving and cooking with rhubarb. Get lots of tips for growing this easy perennial food plant plus delicious recipe ideas for both sweet and savory dishes.
This rhubarb guide is a part of a continuing series of produce Ultimate Guides where you can find all kinds of growing information and tips as well as delicious recipes, both fresh and preserved, for a specific fruit or vegetable. See more fruit and vegetable guides here.
Rhubarb is one of those edible plants that's considered a vegetable, but used like a fruit - in fact a US court decided in the 1940s that it was a fruit for import regulations because that's how it's often used (source).
It's probably considered a bit unusual or old-fashioned, but it has some great qualities and lends itself to some fantastic recipes, so I really recommend growing it.
One reason is that rhubarb is a perennial plant and once established in a place that it likes it's pretty carefree, coming back every year with minimal care.
So you need a permanent place - a rhubarb patch - where it can happily live and provide you with some of the first fruits of the gardening season year after year.
Another reason is that rhubarb is such a versatile plant to cook with and preserve - it can become a chutney for savory foods, ice cream sauce, pie and cake filling, jam, cookie bars, drinks and more.
Even so, it is still a mystery to some because it's not a normal thing we find regularly in our supermarkets.
I often get questions asking what to make with rhubarb or how to grow it, so I'm putting all the rhubarb growing information and recipes that I've collected into one ultimate rhubarb guide so you'll have one place to come for rhubarb answers.
What is rhubarb?
Did you know that rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat family? So weird, right? It also has good amounts of vitamins C, K, and the mineral magnesium as well as some fiber and protein.
We eat the stalks of a rhubarb plant and they are known to be quite tart, which is why many recipes call for quite a bit of sugar. I've found I can easily use less to get a nice sweet-tart flavor, so my recipes use less sweetener and many use a natural sweetener, too.
The large leaves of the plant are poisonous (I always feel sorry for the people who discovered stuff like this, don't you?), so they should be composted after harvesting the stalks.
Red or Green Stalks?
I didn't know until we moved into a new house with an established rhubarb patch that not all rhubarb varieties have red stalks. Some produce mostly green stalks with barely a hint of red.
The green stalked rhubarb is closer to the wild rhubarb, with newer varieties having been bred to be redder, like 'crimson red' and 'valentine.'
I've cooked with both types and while there is no flavor difference, the food all looks better using red stalks. They make the jam pretty (it's a dull brown color with green stalks) and produce wonderful red pockets in muffins and breads.
Green stalk rhubarb also tends to produce more flower stalks (some of the red varieties will not produce flowers at all), and when the flowers form, the stalks can be a bit dry and stringy.
However, the green stalk variety is hardier and easier to grow than the more popular red colored plants, so if you're having problems getting rhubarb established, switching your variety may be an option for you.
Ultimate Rhubarb Guide - How to Grow Rhubarb
Planting
Rhubarb is most typically planted as one-year-old crowns, either bare root in very early spring or from potted plants in later spring.
Plant in the spring as early as you can in full sun and amend the soil a bit with compost before planting rhubarb crowns about an inch below the surface.
TIP: in warmer climates, rhubarb may do better in partial shade, though the stems will not grow as thick.
If planting more than one plant, set them at least 3 feet apart - a well established plant can grow huge!
Do not harvest the stalks at all the first year after planting to allow the plant time to grow with its full energy (although if it looks really healthy, it probably wouldn't hurt to harvest 2 or 3 stalks to make some muffins with!).
Maintenance
Water well and consistently throughout the growing season, especially in the plant's first two years.
After that, I've found them to be fairly drought resistant - they will die back if not watered, but will produce again the next spring. Of course that's not the way to get the best, biggest stalks, but if you can't provide water throughout the entire season once it's established, it should be okay.
The only fertilizer it needs is a yearly topping of compost. Keeping the ground mulched with a layer of the compost, grass clippings or straw is a way to keep the ground moist as well. Just keep any mulch away from the crown of the plant, which can encourage rot.
To prepare your plant for winter, after the first hard frost, cut back any remaining stalks and dress with a light 2 inch layer of compost, leaves, or hay to protect the roots through the winter.
The only other thing to remember is to remove any flowering stalks that may appear (as mentioned, some varieties form more of these than others), as they take away the plant's energy as well as cause the stalks to degrade in quality.
Established clumps can be divided every 4 to 5 years - when the stalks get small and spindly or when the crown is visibly crowded. This will help the plant keep growing nice thick stems.
You can dig around the edges and trim the crown down to 4 or 5 buds or you can dig most of the plant up and gift somebody with a rhubarb plant.
Growing in Shade or Heat
Above is another rhubarb plant I planted in dappled shade. It illustrates what was mentioned above - rhubarb grown in more shady conditions will have thinner stalks and the plant and leaves won't be as large.
If at all possible, move to a sunnier spot unless the shade is allowing your plant to grow in warmer climates.
Although rhubarb isn't known for growing well in the hotter southern United States, providing shade and water (and choosing the greener variety) may allow you to grow it successfully in areas with warmer summers.
The top growth will probably die back at temperatures consistently above 90 degrees, causing the plant to appear dormant, but as temperatures lower in later summer the leaves should start to grow again then or the next spring.
If all you can grow is rhubarb with thinner stalks, I'd vote for growing them!
If you live in an area where rhubarb isn't sold that you know of, the easiest way to make sure you can have some each season is to find a way to grow it.
How to Harvest Rhubarb
To harvest individual stalks:
The easiest way to gather the stalks is to pull up from the base of the plant, twisting slightly as you pull.
Most will come out pretty quickly this way, but if some don't, you can use a knife to cut a stalk off at the base, you just have to be careful not to cut anything you don't plan on harvesting - which is why I prefer the pull-and-twist method.
Cut off the leaves and compost them.
When and how much to harvest:
I've read various, sometimes conflicting, methods for when and how much to harvest your rhubarb - from only picking 1/3 of the plant during a season to cutting all the stems at once for a one-time harvest, or only spring harvesting to an all-season harvest.
I aim for the middle, harvesting only the fattest stalks for about a two-month period, or until most of the new stalks are really looking thin. Every once in awhile, some stalks will look good again in the fall and I'll harvest a few, but my main harvest is in the spring.
Ultimate Rhubarb Guide - Recipes
Preserving Recipes
Honey Rhubarb-Ginger Jam (Small Batch)
3 Ingredient Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce
Ten Ways to Use & Preserve Spring Rhubarb @ Food In Jars
To Freeze:
Rhubarb freezes wonderfully! Trim, slice or dice, and pack raw into freezer bags, removing as much air as possible (I use the straw trick).
Alternately, you can flash freeze the cut rhubarb on a baking sheet before adding to freezer containers.
Either way, label and freeze for up to a year.
You can blanch the rhubarb first, but I don't (are you surprised after this and this?) and it seems to come out the same for me.
TIP: Cut and freeze in measurements of your favorite recipe and to use it easily from frozen.
Cooking & Baking Recipes
Rhubarb Chutney Salad Dressing
Old Fashioned Fresh Rhubarb Cake @ On Sutton Place
Pink Rhubarb Gin @ Lovely Greens
Rhubarb Sorbet @ Garden Therapy
Rhubarb Coffee Cake @ Attainable Sustainable
Pasta with Basil & Rhubarb Sauce @ Recipes From A Pantry
Homemade Rhubarb Bread @ Creek Line House
Rhubarb Frequently Asked Questions
If harvesting from a garden patch, cut off the poisonous leaves before bringing inside. Cut off the bottom root end and use a vegetable brush to gently clean each stalk under running water. Then chop into the slices or dices needed for your recipe.
You do not need to peel spring rhubarb, since the stalks are tender enough to be used without peeling. If you are using later season rhubarb the strings of the stalks may be tougher and you may want to peel first.
You shouldn't eat rhubarb from the garden once temperatures fall to the lower to mid 20s, as oxalic acid in the leaves will move to the rhubarb stalks which can crystallize in the kidneys. (source)
It will keep in stalks 3-4 weeks in the fridge, a little less if cut. You can store wrapped in a damp cloth inside a produce bag or alone in the produce bag if using sooner.
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This guide has been updated - it was originally published in 2014.
Barb says
I ordered some rhubarb plants from a nursery this summer. It just arrived on the day that we were supposed to have our first frost that night. Should I plant it or will it still be good if I wait until next spring. They just 1 very thin stalk with not much a root. Needless to say, I’m not very pleased with this nursery.
BTW, I love reading your blog. Thank you for all of the tips, recipes, etc.
Jami says
Thank you, Barb - so glad you like the content on the site!
As for the rhubarb, I would plant and then cover the soil around the plant with a good deep layer of straw or some other type of mulch. Rhubarb needs a cold season to know when to wake up in the spring and it will be establishing roots on the warmer days, so I think it may give your plant a nice headstart.
Sue Winter says
I made rhubarb ice cream for my brother’s birthday and it turned out really good. I cooked down about 2 cups of rhubarb with about a quarter cup of sugar then put it in my ninja blender. I used a regular vanilla recipe and added the cooled mixture the last 5 minutes of churning.
Jami says
That sounds really good, Sue!
Karyn says
I’m having trouble growing/keeping my rhubarb plants alive. Tried planting seedlings and due to extreme heat the same week, they died. Tried again but put 2 plants in a giant pot and 1 in the ground. The one in the ground died but the potted ones did really well. I have noticed that 2 of the plants I planted in the ground that previously died are coming back. How do I keep the plants in the pot from freezing over the winter? I’m located at the base of Mt Hood and the area where these rhubarb plants are only get about 6 hrs of direct sunlight in the summer as we are in a canyon and surrounded by trees. This is my first try at growing rhubarb and I’m not sure what to do. It’s also my first attempt at growing anything outside due to physical limitations and since rhubarb is my favorite and I was told it is fairly maintenance free, I thought I would give it a try. Do you have any helpful hints for me about keeping these plants alive? Please help!
Jami says
You may yet be surprised at the plants that were in the ground, Karyn, sounds like they may come back for you. Pretty much anything small planted right before a heat wave will die, so there's that. 🙂 I am not really one to advise you on potted plants, for me everything pretty much grows better in the ground! Wrapping the pots in some sort of burlap and moving them to a sheltered area (that still gets rain - you wouldn't want them drying out) should keep them through the winter.
Dawn says
I have a huge patch that was on the property when we bought it. I did not use it for a while, but my mother in law and a few friends used from it. Then a nice lady I worked with brought in rhubarb coffee cake, I was hooked. I make it several times a year. I freeze it already cut up and measured for that recipe.
We found out that after spring harvest, if you cut back all the stalks, you get a great batch in the fall. So you can get 2 in one season. The stalks as you know lose flavor and get more hollow in center, but doing this ensures it will produce a second batch. Good luck everyone. This year I want to try rhubarb butter.
Jami says
What a great tip, Dawn - thanks! And I think you're going to LOVE the rhubarb butter. 🙂
H bentley says
You say to 'cut' the remaining stalks approaching winter but I never 'cut' the rhubarb I always
pull the stalks. I have never seen anyone cut rhubarb.
Jami says
I do show how to pull the stalks when harvesting. At the end of the season, my rhubarb is soft and browning, making it sometimes not possible to pull - at that point it is easier for me to cut the remaining stalks all at once. You can do it however you like!
Suzy says
Hi Jamie, I want to thank you for this wonderful article and all the wonderful information it contains. We live in North-Central Colorado, about 30 minutes North of Denver. The last couple of years I tried growing rhubarb when we were living further South, about 20 minutes East of Denver. But because I am stubborn and for now we are forced to rent other people's homes and I was refusing to grow beautiful rhubarb for other people, I attempted to grow my rhubarb in heavy pots. As you can probably guess, my attempts were a huge failure. So now that we have moved yet again, I have decided that since we are likely going to be here for 3+ years and it's a nice big yard for a change, I am going to add rhubarb to my list for the garden I am planning for the spring of 2019. The area I am planning is approximately 17yds x 27yds., so I should be able to have a really nice garden for a change. The yard is so big, that I will still have approximately 27yds x 27yds of yard still to plan, for now this year I have to finish out the season with my makeshift container gardening. Did I mention that the temperatures here are also perfect for growing rhubarb. For the first time in a long time, I am excited about having a nice big garden. Blessings to you ~SuzyJCinColorado~
Jami says
How fun for you, Suzy, and what an inspiration to "bloom where you're planted" - literally. 🙂
I wish you great gardening joy there!
Carrie Kwiatkowski says
Thanks for the great article, Jami! I'm harvesting my first rhubarb and noticing when I slice them the 'flesh' varies in color from green to pink. Should I steer clear of green-fleshed stalks? Or does it matter?
Jami says
No that doesn't matter at all. 🙂 In fact, some rhubarb has been bred to be more green and some more red. You have a variety with both. It's all good!
Carrie Kwiatkowski says
I made the big crumb coffee cake with it and it was delicious! Thanks for all the recipe links. 🙂
Jami says
Glad that was helpful - that's one of my absolute favorites, too!