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Fruit
Rhubarb
A long-lived perennial, a well-established crown can keep producing for a decade or more.
Get your planting dates
This guide covers how to grow, harvest and keep rhubarb, deliberately without sowing dates,
because the right date depends entirely on your climate zone. GardenBuddy's planting calendar
covers all seven Australian climate zones and will tell you exactly when to sow where you live.
Growing
Full sun to part shade, rich soil with plenty of organic matter, consistent water. Give it permanent, dedicated space, it doesn't like being moved.
Common problems
- Thin, weak stalks from an overcrowded or exhausted crown, divide every 4-5 years
- Leaves are toxic (oxalic acid), only the stalks are eaten, this is a genuine safety point, not folklore
- Bolting to flower in its first year or two, remove flower stalks to redirect energy to the crown
Harvest
Pull stalks (don't cut) with a twist once they're a decent length, from the plant's second year onward. Stop harvesting by mid-to-late summer to let the crown recover for next season.
Preserving this crop
Best suited to:
Seed saving
Difficulty: N/A (grown from crown division). Rhubarb is propagated by dividing an established crown, not commonly grown from seed by home gardeners, as seed-grown plants are variable.