Planting rhubarb in November: a start for many years of harvests
Rhubarb is the perennial that stays with you for many years – if you get it into the ground properly now, in November. Here's the right spot, the right depth and the patience that pays off.
While the vegetable beds settle down, the best planting season for perennials has arrived. Rhubarb roots well in cool, moist autumn soil and gets off to a strong start in spring. With a few simple steps you lay the foundation for a plant that delivers stalks in the same spot for many years.
Why now is the right time
Rhubarb is a perennial that dies back completely in winter. If you plant the rootstock in autumn while the soil is still frost-free, it has time to grow fine roots before spring kicks in. If the ground is frozen, it’s better to wait for a thaw or until March.
A spot for many years
Rhubarb likes a sunny to partly shaded position and deep, humus-rich soil that doesn’t tend to waterlog. Allow about one square metre per plant: the leaves grow large and the rootstock gets stronger every year. Since you won’t want to move it, choose a spot at the edge of a bed or in a corner outside your crop rotation.
How to plant it properly
Loosen the soil to a spade’s depth and work in a shovel of ripe compost. Set the rootstock so the buds sit roughly two to three centimetres below the surface – no deeper, or it may rot. Firm it in, water well and cover with a layer of leaves or mulch.
Patience in the first year
In the first year you leave the plant alone to grow and harvest nothing. In the second year you can take a few stalks, and from the third year on you can harvest fully. Pull the stalks from the rootstock with a twisting motion rather than cutting them. Stop around midsummer at the end of June so the plant can recover.
A word of caution about the leaves
Rhubarb leaves contain a lot of oxalic acid and are not fit to eat. Remove them straight away at harvest and put them on the compost – not in the kitchen and not within reach of children or pets. The stalks, too, are best eaten cooked and in moderation.
Keep a note in your garden journal
Write down planting date, spot and variety – otherwise in three years you’ll hardly remember which plant went in when. In Rootivo you can record this in your garden journal and see in spring when your first harvest is due.