It is eagerly awaited by rhubarb fans, the beginning of the harvest season. The season is over far too quickly. In the following, we will tell you when to harvest rhubarb and what mistakes you should avoid.

Smooth stalks signal the start of harvest

With good care, it will be ready from the beginning of April. The tissue between the ribs on the rhubarb stalks will smooth out. At the same time they take on the appetizing deep red or fresh green colour. This can be the starting signal for this year's harvest.

  • grasp the stem at the base and twist clockwise to remove
  • Never cut rhubarb stalks with a knife

Once the stem is separated from the plant, cut off the leaf as it is inedible. You should also remove the whitish stalk in the lower area because there is a risk of an increased oxalic acid content here.

Until when can rhubarb be harvested without hesitation?

The rhubarb harvest traditionally ends on St. John's Day, June 24th. This makes sense for the following reasons:

  • stalks picked in summer have a higher concentration of toxic oxalic acid
  • the growth spurt at the end of June serves exclusively to regenerate a rhubarb plant

In agriculture, St. John's Day is important in many respects. At this time, Mother Nature starts again and encourages a second shoot in many plants. Same with rhubarb.

When is a rhubarb plant harvested for the first time?

Although rhubarb is one of the heavy consumers, the plant has enough potential for a lifespan of seven years. In order for this vigor to develop fully, it should not be harvested in the year after planting.

  • first harvest of rhubarb no earlier than the second year after planting
  • the first harvest season ideally ends in mid-May
  • always leave a few stalks of rhubarb on the plant

The joy about the first home-grown rhubarb is great. In the interest of a long life, experienced hobby gardeners ended this season early. Such consideration for the vitality of the plant is rewarded with rich harvests in the following years.

In this way, you can harvest earlier and more abundantly

It's tight, the rhubarb season. Hardly has it started at the beginning of April than the harvest fun is over by the end of June at the latest. Experienced hobby gardeners know with the following tricks how the harvest starts earlier and produces higher yields:

  • Cover the rhubarb with fleece from January
  • alternatively surround with a thick layer of horse manure
  • the rhubarb blossoms burst out immediately

If rhubarb does not flower, the plant saves a lot of energy. She invests this in the formation of new, tasty stalks for a lush harvest.

tips and tricks

Rhubarb can be stored longer in the refrigerator after harvesting if you wrap the stalks in wet kitchen towels. Under no circumstances should rhubarb be stored in aluminum cans, because even a minimal amount of oxalic acid reacts chemically with the metal.

GTH

Category:

Vegetable garden