We love rhubarb in our family.  It’s one of the first crops ready in the spring, right when we are anxious for fresh produce.  It’s also very easy to take care of.

Rhubarb plants can be purchased from a nursery.  There are several kinds, but we prefer the varieties with more red in the stalks.  But the least expensive way to get your own plants is to ask a neighbor for a plant, or part of one.  They have to be dug up and the root divided, meaning cut in half, and then replanted.  Each section should have at least one bud.  Rhubarb tends to be a little touchy about this operation, so be careful and get them replanted right away.   Try to replant in later winter or early spring.   Water them in well, and keep watered for a while until the root is growing again, and they should be fine.  They do much better if they are watered freely all the time.

Rhubarb are heavy feeders.  My husband’s grandmother would pile manure on her plants early in the spring, and let the stalks come up right through it.  She also had the best plants in the area.  They can grow in pretty much any soil, but giving them what they need ensures that they will grow faster and bigger.  If you are going to have a plant, or several, you might as well get as much off of them as you can.

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