Rhubarb.......Again!

[Mimi]

When can I keep harvesting rhubarb until.  I have a forest of the stuff again after a mass cull about a month ago.  Seems a shame to waste it.

[Mimi]

[pumkinlover]

I've never known rhubarb reappear and grow so well late into the year esp. with it being so dry!

Some people do not eat it now but  if you want to cut longer length off the leaf end as that is where most of the oxalic is. I think someone on here said you could eat it if there was no R in the month (? April!)

[triffid]

Hi Mimi



Depending on how far north / south you are, most advice I've heard is to take stalks until July (northern areas) or August (southern areas). The idea is to leave the last stalks to grow so the plants go into autumn at full strength. So if you're not likely to see an early frost, go ahead and make some more rhubarb crumble / jam / wine...  Tongue  But leave at least 3 good stalks behind rather than culling the lot!

Just thought - that's assuming that your rhubarb is three years old or more? If it's two years old, you should stop now till next season.



Pumpkinlover, I've not heard of significant amounts of oxalic acid being carried in rhubarb's stalks (though non-toxic levels of it are found in all parts of rhubarb). Can you tell us more?

[Aden Roller]

Thanks for the info Triffid.

I was wondering just how long my brother-in-law could continue helping himself to our rhubarb!!  ;D

[pumkinlover]

Triffid- it is something on hearsay I must admit -
that the greatest amount is in the leaves and that the part of the stalk nearest to the leaf has a higher concentration than further down. Therefore I was told to cut off about two" instead of just below the leaf.

If more knowledgeable folks can clarify or contradict me I humbly apologise  :-[

[tricia]

I found this on Google.

http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/growing

It is American but the most interesting part is that apparetnly temperatures affect how well it will grow. Since we have not had any great heat here this year I am not surprised to see how well my rhubarb is still growing and will take another few stalks tomorrow for the freezer.

Tricia

[peanuts]

It possibly also depends on the variety?  When we moved to our house in UK 30 years ago, there was a vigourous rhubarb plant already growing, so I've no idea as to variety.  We were always able to start harvesting in March, and then right through until  October, enormous stalks.  We never lifted it, just occasionally hiving off a bit for friends.  Moving to France we brought some with us.  It took a couple of years to get established in the higher summer temperatures.  It was moved again 6 years later to our present house, where we planted it in two locations to make sure we had a good chance of keeping it.  Three years later there is no stopping it!  It seems to have adjusted to the temperature and humidity variations well, and again we can harvest from March through to October.  And we'll never know what it is.
Peanuts