How to grow Rhubarb in Australia

Where to plant

Rhubarb grows best in deep, fertile loam with plenty of compost and manure, and the soil must drain well. Waterlogged soil, especially in winter, rots the crown. Pick a spot in full sun or light shade where the plant can stay for years, as it gets large.

It is a cool-climate plant at heart and grows thickest, reddest stalks where winters are cold, but it also grows reasonably well in the subtropics.

• Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and the Adelaide Hills: ideal rhubarb country. Plant crowns while they are dormant in winter.
• Sydney: reliable in western Sydney and the Blue Mountains; marginal on the coast.
• Perth and the Adelaide plains: grows, but summer heat stresses it. Give it afternoon shade, mulch and steady water, or grow it in the hills.
• South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: grow it as a cool-season plant, planting in autumn and winter. Fungal problems are more common in humid weather, so give it good drainage and air.
• North Queensland and Darwin: not suited.

How to plant

1. Dig plenty of compost and well-rotted manure into the bed before planting. Rhubarb is a hungry plant.
2. Plant crowns or divisions in late autumn or winter, with the bud or growing point just at or slightly above the soil surface. Burying the crown invites rot.
3. Space plants about 80 to 100 cm apart.
4. Water in well and mulch around, but not over, the crown.
5. Do not pick any stalks in the first year, so the plant can build up its roots.

Watering and feeding

Water deeply and regularly through dry spells while the plant is in leaf. Rhubarb is not a low-water crop, and dry soil gives thin, stringy stalks. Ease off when it dies back in winter in cold areas.

Feed generously. Top up with compost or manure each year, and give a liquid feed such as seaweed or fish emulsion while the plant is growing. A mulch about 7 cm deep in spring holds moisture and feeds the soil.

Pruning and care through the year

• Cut or snap off flower stalks as soon as they appear, so the plant keeps putting its energy into leaves and stalks.
• Remove dead and yellowing leaves to keep air moving around the crown.
• Divide the clump every five years or so, or when stalks get thin and crowded. Do it while the plant is dormant, from late autumn into winter.

Harvesting

Take no stalks in the first year, only a few in the second, and pick normally from the third year. Stalks are ready when they are long, firm and well coloured.

Hold each stalk near the base and pull it down and sideways with a twist, rather than cutting, which leaves stumps that can rot. Take stalks from the outside and never take more than about a third of the plant at once. Cut the leaf off straight away and put it in the compost, not in the kitchen.

The stalks keep about a week in the fridge wrapped in a damp cloth, and chopped stalks freeze for months.

Growing in pots

Rhubarb can grow in a large, deep pot at least 50 cm wide with a rich potting mix, but it is happier in the ground. A pot needs frequent watering and regular feeding, and the plant will need dividing or repotting every few years.

Using it

Rhubarb stalks are very tart and are almost always cooked with sugar or sweet fruit, in crumbles, pies, jams, compotes and sauces. Stewed rhubarb with apple or strawberry is a classic.

Never eat the leaves. They contain high levels of oxalic acid and are poisonous to people and pets.

Dividing crowns

Rhubarb is grown from crowns, and the best way to get more plants is to divide an old clump while it is dormant. Lift the whole crown with a spade and fork, then cut it vertically into pieces with a sharp spade, making sure each piece has at least one growing bud (an eye) and a good piece of root. Replant straight away in freshly enriched soil. Rhubarb can be raised from seed, but seedlings vary and take longer to crop.