I have a rhubarb theory: Never in the history of rhubarb has any person ever had the correct amount of rhubarb. I'll explain. If you don't happen to have a rhubarb patch on your property, you have zero rhubarb (which is not the correct amount of rhubarb). If you do happen to have a rhubarb patch on your property you have an excess amount of rhubarb - even if you regularly make and consume pies/sauces/etc. AND you give significant amounts of rhubarb away to those who do not have any.

The supply/demand equation is never in balance when it comes to rhubarb. You either have none or you have an embarrassment of riches.

The end.

No truer words have ever been spoken

I have one plant and I can twist off about 20 or so stems a year and that is very workable for me.

Bryce

I don’t have plants anymore …… I buy 20 lbs every spring….. no kidding.

How long does it take for plants to produce large stalks ??

Anyone ever start them from scratch ??

About time I got my own patch here……

Depends on the size and the age of the root or root section you get. If you know a person with several plants and they don't mind giving or trading one with you, then you could dig and transplant a vigorus plant that would yield first year. Typical starter plants for me in the past it took 2-3 years not unlike buying asparagus. If you buy 3rd year roots you can harvest quicker.

Bryce

Let’s say I plant starter roots ….. then what ?? Just leave them alone for a couple years or trim a bit….

These Canadian Red new plants I started from seed about 6 weeks ago.



I have a big patch of the Old world green with some red tint , 6 plants 3 years old but recently I've desired the sweeter deep red rhubarb so after looking locally I had to aquire seeds online.

I'll plant these and not harvest from them for a couple years.

Appreciate the info 330 !!

Absolutely...hope you get some.

Wife made rhubarb wine couple years ago. We sure like it. Got 2 bottles left.

I’m not a big wine drinker…… but I would try that MT…..

Interesting that all the seeds came up Red. When you take seeds off a plant you never know what colour the stalks will be or how sweet they will taste.
Those must be closed pollination flowers to get all red
A couple of winters ago a large producer of plants lost 80% of his crop =100,000 plants due to freezing conditions in Winter
the chinook conditions in Alberta kills most of theirs every couple years, so lots get sent there.@ 75$ a plant

Supergoose if you find some old farmstead and some plants, just dig-cut some root stalk. Dig down at least a foot before going sideways and that stalk should root. Just before they go dormant in the fall

Good call 50….. I’ll keep my eye out. Recently found some this spring, clearly not being tended too, owner said no he wanted to keep it . A week later cleared out with the rest of the land when they pushed the house over to build a new one……

Good advice on digging —I’ll remember it. Appreciate the help

They have a very large stalk below ground, the size of your forearm and a very deep tap root, cutting this there will be multi stalks appear following years, and these can be harvested.later

330T when are you going to plant those because the tap roots are probably curling up in the bottom of the cups.

holes should be 2-3 feet deep with a good nitrogen base compost in the bottom for the base plants . dont know how much cycadide problems you have or the june beetle larvae in your areas

I gifted 2 pots to a 12 yr old boy who helps us here on my place with chores.

I tore out the bottom of one and he had taken the other plant out of the pot when he stepped on it. Plant was almost to the cups bottom.

When I plant new small plants like these I mix in dried cow manure quite heavily 50 / 50 with good soil but down in the hole about 6" or so. if it's a rood ball rhubarb transplant I mix it all around the cutting
Watering well everyday.
My plants do well with manure tea also.

This summer I di have aphids on one young plant I wouldn't be harvesting from for two years so I did use powdered 7.

I wanna get a patch started. But the only way I'll eat it is straight from the patch fresh with a dash of salt. Can not STAND the snot-like consistency of it once cooked.

Just like my dad strut…. He will just grab a stalk and start eating it…. No salt, no sugar just straight.

My face wants to turn inside out just thinking about it

It'll make your eyes sweat and your socks roll up and down your ankles, for sure...............unless ya got sticky ankles.

But that's JUST the way I like it !!!!

Pull it out snap off both Ends
Dip it in Sugar every bite

I cut a stalk at the ground...........cut off the leaf........peel the skin off the entire length of one side. The perfect amount of salt will then stick to the wet inner stalk.