Ask Kitty
Dear Kitty,
I have noticed that I have a lot of rhubarb still coming. I planted it only this spring and picked about 6-8 stalks in early summer. Should I pick the rhubarb that’s growing now?
Signed,
Love-the-sour-rhubarb-stalks
Dear Rhubarb Stalks,
The wonderful rhubarb. I commend you on adding this vegetable to your garden! Yes, rhubarb is a veggie; it was declared a fruit in 1947 (despite not fitting the fruit criteria, fruit has seeds inside) by U.S Customs. There are several different varieties of rhubarb but all of them require the same care and harvesting methods. Rhubarb harvesting is simple after a few years. Because your rhubarb was just planted this year, I suggest you only pick a few stalks now and only the ones that are over 10 inches long. Technically you can harvest rhubarb until fall, but plants need to store up energy to make it through the winter. Rhubarb should be at least 2 years old before taking a full harvest – one full harvest in the late spring and a few stalks here and there through the summer. This will ensure the plant has established itself well enough to provide you with rhubarb for many years to come.
Congratulations on keeping this heritage vegetable growing for the future!
