How to grow Rhubarb

Growing Rhubarb will provide you your own source of one of the most delicious vegetables around. Rhubarb is often thought of as a fruit but in fact it is a vegetable. It is a very hardy plant that can tolerate frosts and wind and is relatively pest and disease free. It can be grown from divisions and crowns and also from seed.

The key to success with rhubarb is it loves a well-drained soil or mix with plenty of organic material such as Intelligro’s Garden Grow Compost added to it. Rhubarb doesn’t like having wet feet so if planting in a clay soil remember to add some Claybreaker (Gypsum) to help with breaking up the clay. It will tolerate sandy soil if lots of compost is added too and is happy in full sun conditions.

Prepare your soil by digging in plenty of Intelligro Garden Grow Compost and add some Intelligro Sheep Pellets to your soil before planting.

Directions for planting in garden beds

• Dig your hole about twice the width and depth of your plant's root ball. Carefully loosen the root ball of your rhubarb and place in the middle of the hole.
• Fill in around with your soil and press gently but firmly around the base.
• Give it a good a water and be consistent with your watering, especially while establishing
• Plant your rhubarb about a metre apart.
• Feed with a balanced garden fertiliser such as Nitrophoska during Spring and Autumn. Blood and Bone is another great choice for feeding your rhubarb.
• Rhubarb is equally happy growing in pots and raised garden beds too. Intelligro Patio Plus is designed especially for tubs and pots and has all the goodness your rhubarb will need. If planting into a raised garden bed, then Veggie Garden Mix is a fantastic mix to grow your veggies including a long term plant like rhubarb in.

Helpful Hints

• Only eat the stems of the rhubarb as the leaves are high in Oxalic Acid and are toxic.
• Rhubarb is a big leafy vegetable so pay attention to watering, especially in hot periods and be consistent with your watering.
• It takes a year of growth before harvesting rhubarb, so give it the first year to grow and establish.
• When harvesting take the outer stalks and leave the inner ones to grow and feed the plant.

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