Gardening: Rhubarb requires little care once established

The cool weather this spring has been good for rhubarb plants. After emerging in early May, the thick, tangy stalks are ready for harvesting to be turned into pie, sauce, jam and rhubarb bread.

Early pioneers welcomed its arrival as one of the first fresh foods available after the long winter of stored food. Long before that though, as far back as 2700 BCE, early Chinese revered the plant for its medicinal properties and used extracts of its root as a purgative. Early traders along the Silk Road brought Chinese rhubarb west to Europe. Marco Polo spoke of it in his writings of his travels to China in the 1200s CE. Rhubarb is first mentioned as a food plant in Europe about 1778; by 1800, it was showing up in the produce markets in the new United States.

Growing rhubarb is very easy. It needs the cold climate of the northern latitudes to develop its thick stems and huge leaves. Once established the plants take little care and will produce for many years. My planting of now huge roots is over 35 years old with no sign of slowing down.

The color of the stalks depends on the variety. There are more than a dozen varieties available, and their stalks can vary in color from green through pink to deep red. Some say that the green stalks are actually sweeter than the more popular red.

Rhubarb grows from root sections purchased in the spring at local garden centers or online. A good planting root will be at least as big as your hand with several pinkish growing buds at one end.

Because rhubarb roots are long-lived, they need a place where they can grow undisturbed. The plant needs a sunny location with well-drained soil amended with compost. Set the roots in the ground so the growing buds or leaf bases are at the surface. Although the plants are quite drought tolerant once established, they benefit from a consistent supply of water. Wind a soaker hose around the root before the leaves begin growing in the spring and then water deeply every two weeks during the summer. The plants do go semi-dormant in the heat of July and August and lose many of their leaves. Fertilize in the spring before growth starts with good compost or a cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer. They are very hardy, so there is no need for winter mulch.

Let the plant grow for a couple of years before beginning to harvest so the root has a chance to develop. In the third year, stalks can be harvested for one to two weeks. In succeeding years, harvest can extend for at least two months. Don’t remove more than a quarter of the leaves at a time. Select thick stalks and pull them off the plant from the base rather than cutting them off. Trim off the leaf as it contains oxalic acid, a mild toxin. The leaves also make a good mulch to block weeds.