(Backyard Gardener - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley gardeners and farmers!

Mother’s Day marked the beginning of warm season gardening. We are now setting out tomato, pepper and many other vegetable transplants. Remember, squash, sweet corn and cucumber can be direct seeded into the garden.

Don’t forget about container gardening! If you have an apartment or don’t have a lot of room, many vegetables can be planted in containers including salad greens, spinach, Swiss chard, beets, radish, carrots, peppers, bush beans, tomatoes, bush varieties of summer squash, cucumbers, green onions, and many herbs. Vegetables that thrive in containers are those with a confined habit of growth.

This week I want to discuss a perennial garden vegetable, rhubarb. Fresh rhubarb is available now from farm markets, grocery stores and from local gardens and will be through mid-June. Remember, eating locally means eating seasonally (strawberries are ready too!)

I thoroughly enjoy the tangy taste in rhubarb jams and jellies and strawberry rhubarb pie. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.) is easy to grow and can add some unique beauty to the garden with its huge heart shaped green leaves on long red to green petioles.

Rhubarb, a member of the buckwheat family, has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries and was brought to the U.S. in the 1800s by settlers. The plant itself grows 2 to 4 feet tall and the stalks are harvested and sweetened (they have a tangy flavor) and are used for filling in cakes, pies and bread. This has earned it the nickname “pie plant.”

The part we harvest is the red or green leafstalks (petioles), which grow up to 18 inches long and are 1-2 inches in diameter. The plant is easy to identify with leaves up to a foot or more in width. The plant dies back to the ground each winter. However, once planted, rhubarb plantings remain productive for 8 to 15 years.

When planting, it is crucial that rhubarb be planted in well-drained soils. Loamy soils are better suited to rhubarb production than sandy soils because they do a better job of water retention and provide more nutrients to the plant. Few diseases affect rhubarb, but one that can is Crown Rot when soil drainage is poor. This disease damages terminal buds, which results in spindly, weak stems.

I recommend to plant rhubarb as a division or crown, rather than to propagate from seed. You can get rhubarb crowns from a local nursery, garden center, or from seed catalogs. Many local neighbors or farmers may be growing rhubarb in the area to get plants from. Plant the crowns as soon as possible so they do not dry out.

Rhubarb crowns are best planted in early spring when the roots are still dormant, or when plants are just beginning to leaf out. Rhubarb can also be planted in the fall after dormancy has set in. It loves rich, organic soils and works best in a raised bed or undisturbed corner of the garden.

Different varieties have varying levels of sourness and fibrousness, and they also vary in color from almost pure green to almost pure red. People prefer the red stalked varieties, but the greener one are actually more productive.

Flavor and sweetness is not related to stalk color. Usually, the skin is more or less red, while the flesh color varies from pale to darker green. Recommended varieties for West Virginia are MacDonald, Valentine, Victoria, Canada Red and Crimson Red.

Rhubarb is a large perennial and requires a good bit of space. Each plant will require approximately one square yard. Loosen the soil to a depth of about 8 inches. Rhubarb loves organic matter, so amend the soil by adding 3 to 4 inches of compost or well-aged manure and a handful of fertilizer that is relatively high in phosphorus and potassium, such as 5-10-10.

Plant the purchased crown pieces or divisions from other plantings about 3 feet apart. Set the pieces so the buds are about 2 inches below the soil surface. Press the soil firmly around the roots and water well. As soil and air temperatures begin to warm, new buds will push up through the soil.

Similar to other perennial plants, rhubarb can benefit from division every few years. The rhubarb plant will produce the next year’s buds at the outer edges of its crown and with each passing year, the plant will become slightly wider. The center may not produce any new stalks.

For division, use a clean, sharp shovel to cut the plant in half or in thirds as new growth is starting in very early spring. Move the divisions to newly prepared planting sites or give them away. You can also dig up the entire plant and divide it using a sharp knife.

Don’t harvest any stalks the first year. Wait until the second or third year so the roots can establish themselves. Only the long, thick leaf petioles or “stalks,” are edible. Rhubarb leaves are toxic (they contain oxalic acid, a poison) and must never be eaten.

Begin picking stalks as soon as they have reached their full length. Depending on the variety, they may be only 12 inches long, or as long as two feet. To pick rhubarb, hold the stalk firmly, pull and twist. Stop harvesting leafstalks when the plant begins to produce slender stalks, a sign that its reserves are low.

A plant yields 4 to 12 pounds of stalks annually depending on age, variety and growing conditions. Four plants should provide a good harvest for local families, depending how many friends and neighbors like rhubarb!

Store fresh rhubarb stalks unwashed in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Rhubarb can also be sliced and frozen, with or without sugar. It will keep it the freezer for up to 6 months.

Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Good Luck and until next time, Happy Gardening!

Rhubarb/Strawberry Freezer Jam- North Dakota State Extension

1 cup rhubarb, chopped

4 cups strawberries, chopped

1 ½ cups granulated white sugar

1 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Add all ingredients into a large pot and stir together on high heat until mixture starts to bubble. Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the fruit to desired consistency. Next, use a thermometer to bring the temperature to 220 degree Fahrenheit, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove from heat and scoop or pour into a mason jar. Allow the mixture to completely cool before storing in the fridge or freezer. Jam can last 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 12 months in the freezer.