Grow Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a vegetable, although it is typically prepared and eaten like a fruit. Unlike other vegetable plants, the ornamental rhubarb plant is a hardy perennial that will produce for at least 10 to 15 years.

Steps

 * 1) Choose a sunny location with well drained soil. If you are growing rhubarb in a garden with other vegetables, plant it in the last row. Because rhubarb is perennial, you will not be tilling the soil annually.
 * 2) Prepare the soil well before planting; it needs to sustain the plant for many years. Several weeks before planting, turn the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Mix in large amount of manure or compost and allow it to sit for two to four weeks.
 * 3) Purchase rhubarb plants, also known as crowns. It is very difficult to grow rhubarb from seed. After your initial plants are established, you can divide them to produce additional plants.
 * 4) Plant the crowns in the prepared soil with the bud of the crown 1 to 2 inches below the soil. Space the rhubarb plants 2 to 3 feet apart.
 * 5) Wait a year before harvesting your rhubarb plants. Allow the plant to die at the end of the first season, returning its nutrients to the roots of the plant. The second year you can harvest two to four stems from each plant. Starting the third year, you can take a full harvest.
 * 6) Harvest rhubarb in late May or June by cutting the stems off with a sharp knife at soil level. It is best to harvest several times, removing a few stems from each plant each time. Harvesting the crop slowly allows the remaining stems to draw on the energy of the plant.

Tips

 * Add compost, manure or fertilizer to the top layer of soil around the rhubarb to increase your yield, taking care not to disturb the roots or cover the crowns. Although you bury the crowns when planting, burying mature crowns may cause plant rot. Enriching the soil is especially important during subsequent years as the mature plant depletes the nutrients.
 * Thin rhubarb every four to five years if the rows start to grow crowded. You can also divide the mature plants to make additional plants. To do this, carefully dig the plant up and use your hands to separate the crown into two pieces. Take care to ensure that each piece has at least one bud and an adequate root base. Replant one piece in the original spot and the other in a new area.

Warnings

 * Never eat the leaves or the roots of a rhubarb plant. These parts of the plant contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous when ingested.

Sources and Citations

 * http://www.gardeningpatch.com/vegetable/growing-rhubarb.aspx
 * http://usagardener.com/how_to_grow_fruits/how_to_grow_rhubarb.php