Rhubarb

orchidsrpretty

I planted some rhubarb in my garden a few months ago. Its come on really well and its ready to be picked...however I have heard from quite a few people that I have to wait till the second crop for it to be edible as if I eat it now it will make me sick. Is this true? I have searched google but came up with nothing.

magicbastarder

it's nothing to do with making you sick, it's that you should allow it to establish fully in the first year before harvesting, as harvesting would otherwise weaken it.

Nonmonotonic

Magic's advice is correct. The confusion maybe due to the fact that Rhubarb contains Oxalic acid which can cause illness if you over indulge. Boil up some Rhubarb in a metal saucepan and see how shiny it gets!

orchidsrpretty

Great, thanks alot, think I will just cut off half the plant, will that leave enough for it to grow next year?

Dizzyblonde

orchidsrpretty wrote: »

Great, thanks alot, think I will just cut off half the plant

Don't cut it! You should pull stalks out. I had new stools of rhubarb last year and I pulled about half the stalks. This year they were big and healthy.

wait4me

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's ...., as harvesting would otherwise weaken it.

I'm a bit confused here. Surely pulling the stalks out, as suggested by Dizzyblonde is the same as harvesting. I planted my first rhurbarb this year as well and the stalks/leaves have taken over a corner of the garden. A tidy-up would be great but not if it has possible long-term effects.

redser7

Have just started some from seed and doing some research apparently it is best not to take a crop in the first year, or at least very little, to allow the root system and crown to grow strong. After that the advice is to leave minumium 4 stalks on the plant at any given time after removing some crop.

bmaxi

wait4me wrote: »

I'm a bit confused here. Surely pulling the stalks out, as suggested by Dizzyblonde is the same as harvesting. I planted my first rhurbarb this year as well and the stalks/leaves have taken over a corner of the garden. A tidy-up would be great but not if it has possible long-term effects.

It's not quite the same. Cut stems will just die back into the plant whereas pulled stems will stimulate the roots and make for a stronger plant. If you are a tidy gardener who wants straight lines and symmetrics, rhubarb is not going to pay ball.
I would leave it alone for this year and only pull a few stems early next year, give it a good thick mulch of manure or compost in the autumn

Dizzyblonde

wait4me wrote: »

I'm a bit confused here. Surely pulling the stalks out, as suggested by Dizzyblonde is the same as harvesting. I planted my first rhurbarb this year as well and the stalks/leaves have taken over a corner of the garden. A tidy-up would be great but not if it has possible long-term effects.

Yes it is the same, but I found that pulling some of the stalks to eat didn't harm the plant.

swifts need our help!

here's a lovely recipe that I use

chop rhurbarb in to thumb lengths
finely grate 1/2 orange zest - unwaxed if you can find it.
seeds from two vanilla pods
finely grate inch of ginger
few tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup of water
simmer gently

try to avoid too much stirring. This will keep the rhubarb whole.

yum!

Mark
N Ireland

brian_t

Twisting

It might be stating the obvious but you don't just pull the stalk.

You should hold a stalk as close as possible to the base of the plant, and pull gently whilst twisting to ensure it comes away neatly.

bmaxi

brian_t wrote: »

Twisting

It might be stating the obvious but you don't just pull the stalk.

You should hold a stalk as close as possible to the base of the plant, and pull gently whilst twisting to ensure it comes away neatly.

It's worth pointing out. We're inclined to assume people know these things but it may not be the case.