How to Grow Rhubarb Crowns

One of our favourite parts of gardening is growing delicious produce that we can bring into the kitchen and integrate into our personal recipes! It can be rewarding and, more importantly, delicious! So, if you’re looking for tasty plants to grow in your outside space, let us teach you how to grow rhubarb crowns!

Rhubarb plants are hardy perennials that grow huge green leaves - but that’s not what we’re interested in here! Rhubarb is famous for its delicious stalks, which are cooked into a variety of sweet and tasty desserts. But that’s not the only reason rhubarb is popular amongst gardeners; they’re also very easy to grow and can live for many, many years!

In this guide, we’ll be specifically detailing how to plant rhubarb crowns, so keep reading to get the whole family involved in your sweet, sweet growing endeavours!

In order to give your rhubarb crowns the best opportunity to thrive, it’s important to prepare your soil for planting! Know that whilst rhubarb is a low-maintenance plant, it requires plenty of space to grow!

Rhubarb prefers to grow in full view of the sun but can also be grown in lightly shaded areas. It enjoys soil that is moist but free-draining. Be sure to avoid water logging as it may lead to your plants rotting.

You can choose to plant your rhubarb crowns either directly into your beds or into containers. If you do opt for containers, we suggest using one that is 50cm wide and deep. Make sure that your leaf stalks emerge slightly above your peat-free compost.

When to plant rhubarb crowns

Rhubarb plants can be planted during most of the chillier months of the year - we tend to recommend sometime between October and March for early spring and summertime harvests in the plants’ second year of growth!

How to plant rhubarb crowns

If you’re planting your rhubarb directly into the soil, dig a hole slightly larger than the crown’s roots and bury your crown so that the tip peaks out just above the soil. You should keep a distance of around 90 cm between plants, giving them plenty of room to grow their leaves. Once in the soil, give your plants a good drink, keeping the soil nice and moist.

If you’re keen to grow the most delicious rhubarb plants possible, you’re going to need to take good care of them! That’s right, your job doesn’t end when your vegetable plants are in the soil, so get the whole family in the mix and look after your rhubarb together!

Watering

Generally being planted in the colder months of the year, rhubarb plants don’t require a whole load of watering, with the rain doing that job for you! If you’re growing in containers in sheltered areas, you should water your plants regularly during their first growing season, particularly during dry periods. The key is to keep your soil moist but avoid waterlogging!

Remove flowers

We all love flowers, but when it comes to rhubarb, flower stems can weaken the health of the plant. For that reason, we suggest removing flowers at the base as soon as you spot them.

Mulching

As we mentioned earlier, moisture in your soil is extremely important for upholding the health of your rhubarb plants. Mulching with compost is a fantastic way to maintain soil moisture and keep your plants hydrated. We’d recommend applying a layer of compost about 2 inches deep, surrounding your plants every spring. 

Overwintering

You’ll be glad to know that rhubarb plants are extremely hardy and don’t require protection during the winter months. Surprisingly, the cold actually inspires new growth during springtime!

Your rhubarb should finally be ready to harvest from spring to mid-summer of your plant’s second year of growth. We’d only recommend picking a few stalks, however, so that your plant has the chance to fully establish for the following year. Whilst you can harvest into the summer, we’d advise stopping in June for the very best flavour!

In order to harvest, select a stalk that stands at around 1ft tall. Look for ones with leaves that have only recently fully opened. Twist your stalk out of the ground by easing it gently out at the base. You should avoid cutting or snapping your rhubarb stalks to avoid rotting.

The next step is to start planning those recipes! What have you got in mind? Rhubarb and custard? Chutneys? Crumbles?

Hopefully, now you’ve got a better idea of how to grow rhubarb crowns! Let’s get you started on growing those delicious stalks so you can get to cooking! At Fothergill’s, we’re all about getting the whole family involved in memory-making in the garden, so get excited about growing your own produce and creating unique family recipes with Fothergill’s today!

If you’ve got any more questions on how to grow rhubarb crowns, feel free to contact us or dig a little deeper into our blog for more growing help and advice!