Just about everyone knows not to eat rhubarb leaves.
Its one of those pieces of folklore passed down from generation to generation.
What Is Rhubarb?
Its the long stalks of these large, luxuriant vegetables that you eat.
Try a spoonful or two on breakfast cereal or mixed through yoghurt.
However, I now think its because of the fear of being poisoned.
Some people mistakenly think that green stalks are also inedible, but this is not the case.
Avoid seed-grown plants, which may be inferior in color and flavor.
It has red-to-green stalks with a strong red base.
Some red varieties may be greener in midsummer with better coloration in spring and autumn.
There are two distinct types of rhubarb growing in my cold-climate garden.
One has very dark green leaves and stout red stalks that can be harvested from late spring to autumn.
Its herbaceous, which means it dies down over winter but re-sprouts in spring.
ORIGINS AND CULTIVATION
The rhubarb we grow is a garden hybrid with an exotic heritage.
Its ancestors came from Central Asia whereRheum rhabarbarumis found in the Himalayas and Mongolia.
They have remained popular, especially for home vegetable gardens, ever since.
Dark-crimson hothouse-grown stalks are available in early spring.
GETTING STARTED
Rhubarb is generally grown from crowns (the dormant root system of the plant).
Existing clumps can also be lifted and divided to provide new plants.
Crowns are sold and planted through the cooler months of the year (generally in winter).
Plants are also available in pots and these can be planted at any time.
Once rhubarb is growing well, it will keep on growing and producing for many years.
Space each plant around 11.2m apart.
Before planting a new crown, remove all weeds and dig aged manure into the soil.
Place the crown so the top is on the surface of the soil.
Keep plants well watered.
Encourage strong growth with regular liquid feeding or by adding a mulch of well-rotted manure and compost.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Rhubarb has few pest or disease problems, especially when grown in ideal conditions.
Occasional leaf damage, triggered by fungal spotting, can occur but usually doesnt affect the harvest.
In poor soils, the leaf stalks may be thin.
Cold-damaged rhubarb stems usually look unappealing and will taste bitter.
If in doubt, simply remove the stalks and wait for new growth in spring.
Despite its large, leafy habit, rhubarb is a flowering plant.
Clumps eventually send up large thick stalks, which carry heads ofsmall white flowers.
Cut flowering stems off at their base to encourage a return to leafy growth.
Plants that are dry or stressed may bolt to flower at the expense of leaf production.
Avoidtugging up or pulling at the stalks as its possible to accidentally pull up the entire clump.
Pick the large outside stalks to encourage new leaves to grow.
Excess crops can be preserved by bottling (in sugar syrup or water) or turned into fruit chutney.
