Content

• To step
• Tips
• Necessities

Edible rhubarb (Rheum x cultorum) is one of the few perennial vegetables, making it an annual part of the crop in a vegetable garden. Rhubarb is processed as a soft fruit and is usually eaten stewed or as an additive in pies and other baked goods. Although rhubarb is a very easy vegetable to grow, harvesting it is no different from other vegetables. This means that it must be harvested at the right time and in the right way. And that can be tricky in some ways. Also try to be patient, as you won't have a good crop of rhubarb until the third or fourth year, but it's well worth the wait. In this article you can read how you can optimally harvest your rhubarb.

To step

1. Pick the right time to harvest. Harvesting time for rhubarb is late spring to the end of summer.
2. When harvesting, take the age of the plant into account. It is important that you do not remove stems from the plant during the first year of the plant's growth, as this will weaken the plant, which is then just starting to root. During the first year, allow the rhubarb plant to form a strong root system, leaving the stems intact during that time (they will emerge and go away on their own).
   • In the second growing season, you only harvest stems in the first two weeks, you only take the stems that are reasonably large, and you make sure that the plant has enough stems left.
   • In the years that follow, you can harvest the rhubarb for the entire harvest period. From the third year you should be able to harvest the rhubarb for 8 to 10 weeks.
3. Know when a stem can be harvested. Rhubarb stems are ready for harvesting when they are about 1.5-2.5 cm wide. They should be firm to the touch and of an even pink, dark pink, green or purple color.
4. Harvest the stems by twisting them. Turn the stems as close to the roots of the plant as possible.
   • Gently pull the stem off as you turn so that the stem pulls off nicely. Rhubarb should always be turned from the root, as twisting and pulling is the best way to harvest the stems, stimulating the roots to produce more stems. Do not dig out stems or cut the stems off, because then the plant will grow less quickly.
   • When the plant is two years old, you can pull off two stems per plant. Leave at least five healthy stems attached so that they can continue to grow.
   • In the following seasons, you can harvest three or four stems per plant, as long as you leave about the same number of stems for further growth. It is recommended to harvest only a third of the plant so that the plant does not have too much trouble growing further.
5. Take good care of the plant. Try to remove broken stems attached to the plant; this can cause infections. Also do not leave broken pieces of the stems at the roots of the plant; remove, eat or throw them away.
   • Always leave three or four mature stems on the plant; this will keep the rhubarb growing well.
   • Remove flowering stems if you see them.
6. Pull or cut away any leaves attached to the stems. The leaves contain acidic acid; that is poisonous and not suitable for consumption. Discard them or put them on the compost pile. Or make the rhubarb leaves a natural pesticide to control pests on broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
   • Also, don't give the leaves to animals!
7. Make sure to stop harvesting before the plant becomes exhausted. Harvesting the rhubarb is best stopped when the stems become thin again, or when you have already removed a third of the plant.
8. Keep the rhubarb in a safe place. While fresh rhubarb is best consumed or processed right away, it can also be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. The stems can also be frozen or canned for a long time once they have been properly processed.
   • To make rhubarb and strawberry compote, first remove the leaves from the stems, if you have not already done so. Then you cut the stems into 2.5 cm long pieces. You let the pieces stew in a layer of water; they must be just under water. Stew doesn't take long, so stick with it.

Tips

• Put a plant label next to your rhubarb, so that you can see in which year the rhubarb was planted and so you know how old the plant is.
• You can consider resting the rhubarb plant every other year. You can plant several plants so that you can harvest them alternately.
• Place a long pipe or large bucket with no bottom in it on the bulb you are planting. Thus, the plant is forced to grow longer stems.

Necessities

• Rhubarb bulbs for planting in the first year and from which you want to harvest after a few years
• Tooth fork
• Garden gloves (optional)