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I have been very good and resisted touching my newly planted rhubarb but it now has quite a lot of nice looking stalks.  Within a few weeks the frost will have got it and the stems will just droop and rot off so the plant will not get much further nourishment from them.  Can I eat them now?  They look very tempting.

If you planted it this year, it will be well worth the wait and resist harvesting until next years crop.  This allows the plant to get better established and will produce greater stronger yields in years to come.  By harvesting the first year, the crop can sometimes weaken and will be less productive in future years.

Resist the temptation! Let the leaves/stems die back then remove and add to the compost heap. Cover the crown(s) with a thick layer of horse manure or mushroom compost and wait for next year when you'll have lots of lovely rhubarb!  :)

But there is no sign of the leaves dieing back.  Some of the outer leaves have gone but the central leaves are young and juicy.  The plant will not be able to retrieve the goodness from them once they are frosted. 

They will soon enough! Even so most reference books say not to harvest after July so it's very late to do so now.
Mine is the same as yours having transplanted it late last year from a neighbouring plot, and I've reluctantly resisted pulling any stems this year.
Roll on next year...

I think from what you say I will cut one and leave the rest.  I have five huge plants so I will have more than enough rhubarb next spring.  Then I can leave that one in the spring and have it again in the autumn. 

I have a whole row of seed grown plants so the year after that I will be inundated.

Quote from: Digeroo on October 10, 2010, 09:26:29
I think from what you say I will cut one and leave the rest. 

Self discipline - don't do it.

If you have that many plants I'd say go ahead and  have a bite.

I've always understood that rhubarb should not be harvested after the middle of August because the oxalic acid in the leaves starts to return to the roots and could be a health hazard if the stalks are eaten. Is this an urban myth? My rhubarb looks better now than it did all summer!

I've googled but did not come up with anything to substantiate this.

Tricia

Resist, resist, resist, as said leave for the first year and never after August, your plants will suffer in years to come for the sake of a few sticks now that may not taste that good anyway.  :o     ??? ??? ???

It's a bit stringy this time of year, and even the commercial growers will have stopped picking by now. Leave it till next year, and you'll have lots of juicy stems.

Yes..they tend to be bit too sour now...they may look good but likely not nice..