The Rhubarb Bandit

wants to strike!

Ok... it's me... I'm starting a veggie/herb garden this spring and planning on 'raiding' my mother-in-law's overgrown garden for some goodies, chief of which is her rhubarb!

I ambled over there the other day to find, to my dismay, a leaf-covered patch of NOTHING where once glorious rhubarb sprouted the year before. Mother-in-law assured me that it would come back so I have to trust in that, but I'm wondering, when should I take my spade and get in there to 'steal' some, and how should I do it? I don't want to kill all her rhubarb, but I want enough that I'll be able to enjoy a few tender shoots myself this summer.

I live in zone 5a btw, and weather lately has finally been in the 40's 50's this past week.

This may be helpful

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2004/5-14-2004/rhubarb.html

Leaf covered sounds very good.

As soon as mine were frozen into hybernation(in Virginia) I would dump two bushel basket loads, or more, of horse stall cleanings on them, to rain in and rot all winter. I raked aside what was left in early spring, and mulched deeply with something more acceptable. They got huge!

Perhaps you can go and find a crown by gently, with your fingers, not a trowel or rake, digging around in those leaves.

In the meantime, you can be digging big deep holes, at least a foot deep, if not two, for each plant, and putting in all sorts of good stuff. Greedy feeders, are rubes!

I just bought some, for fun, and the little bag had three bits of root, size of my thumb and four inches long. Not much of a start. Everybody knows rhubarb doesn't grow here.

If you are to plant new Rhubarb, all the info already given re lots of manure/straw etc is right, also the depth of the planting hole is correct, but for new plants or transplants, dont cut the stalks the first year or you will weaken the plant and maybe even kill it off, the following year, just take some stalks off and leave a few so the plant can slowly build up, there after. every year treat as a normal plant, my grandmother made wonderful Rhubarb and ginger jam, it was Davine, really warmed us kids up in the cold winter nights for supper before bed, I would think in zone 5, there is still some warming up to do before you will notice the leaves start to appear, it need sun and lots of watering to really get nice juicy stalks, if you let it get too dry, it will go to seed, good luck, Weenel.

Yup, I'm in zone 5a, and just seeing the first tips of rhubarb peeking out now. It does take a while to get established, so you probably won't get to eat any from your plant this year. My DH got me some as a gift once (which was really generous, considering that he hates rhubarb, but knew I loved it), and the directions said not to harvest ANY the first year, take no more than 1/4 of the stalks the second year, and then the third year take up to 1/3 of the stalks at any given time.

Luckily when we bought our first house a few years ago, there were already 6 rhubarb plants here (and I painstakingly transplanted the one he bought me, but still couldn't harvest the first year from it in it's new spot!), so I don't have to worry about taking too much from a single plant at once.

Also gave a start to a neighbor before we moved, but it didn't take the transplant. Do give them a nice deep hole with loose soil!

Good luck! My grandma used to make a rhubarb raspberry compote (which she assured me was not to be confused with compost), and I sure wish I had that recipe now.

Booker

Bookerc1, make him a rhubarb custard pie and he'll change his mind!

Rhubarb Custard Pie

1 c. Milk
2 T. Butter
3 Egg yolks
3/4 c. Sugar
4 t. Flour
1/4 t. Salt
2 c. Rhubarb

Scald the milk. Add the butter & let melt. Slightly beat the egg yolks. Add the sugar, flour & salt. When cool, stir the milk and butter into the egg mix. Dump the rhubarb in an 8'' pie pan lined with crust. Pour custard over top.
Bake 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then
Bake 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until custard is set. Cool and refrigerate before eating. This is the best pie !!!

This can be made with frozen rhubarb too. Don't drain.

MMMMMM, Billy, that sounds great! He now somewhat grudgingly eats the strawberry rhubarb pie I make, which is progress, and I still make strawberry rhubarb freezer jam each year. I really need to plant some strawberries! I wonder what kind of a harvest you get from strawberry pots or hanging bags. . .running out of room in my yard!

Your pie will be the first thing I make this spring when my rhubarb is ready. . .unless I find a gallon bag stashed in my freezer in the meantime. I always tried to pick a little extra each time and freeze it for later, and have enjoyed it all winter.

Can't wait for rhubarb now. . .

Booker

I've always wondered about the seed you can buy. Says 'sixty days'.

Hum.

So, Wicked, did you get your rhubarb? Mine is really popping up now, and I'm watching it closely, drooling over the idea of making Billy's rhubarb pie. Soon, soon. ..

Booker

:)) I made two!

Only reason I grow rhubbard it for the rhubbarb leaves..loves the walkways I'm making with cement lol..now you've given me an excuse to use up all of it ...lol

Billy, I have to ask: where is Nichols, Ia? I have family with the last name Nichols, and they live in Iowa! Wonder if there's a connection.

Go up to Interstate 80 and follow it west to Muscatine. We're slightly northwest. Highway 22 and 70 intersect uptown.

The town was named for Samuel Nichols. The Nichols ''mansion'' was a bed and breakfast for a while. The family in it now, really fixed it up.

Hey neat! Not quite sure where that is, though I'm quite new to Iowa I'm only really familiar with the middle stretch of 80 that includes Victor, Brooklyn, Malcom, Grinnell, Kellog, Newton... that's where my immediate geographical knowledge ends.

As for my rhubarb, I haven't gotten it yet, the in-laws's rhubarb is coming up and they're more than willing to let me take some, it's just coming up with a spot to put it. I'm insisting that we bastard trench the garden, and hubby just wants to attack it with his dad's roto-tiller but I want to do deep beds so he finally sighed and capitulated. I've got two beds, one we'll do my way and one we'll do his way, but I'm still insisting that we not walk on them ever!

I need to sit down with all my seed packets and plan where I want to put what. I know where I want the corn to go, and the tomatoes and -maybe- the beans, but I'm not too sure about the rest.

Brook, I was giving direction from your place in case it's confusing. We are not far from the Mississippi River. Muscatine and Iowa City are closest to us.

Wicked Zoeygirl, I see you. Take Interstate east to Iowa City, drop down to highway 6, south on 70, west on 22 and there I am!

If rhubarb stems are all green, they will be really sour. Those with a little red are a tad sweeter.

Hee hee, I noticed! (about the rhubarb stems) I stole the largest one I could find a week ago and nibbled on it, it was a bit sour, but not bad at all. I'll be uprooting the rhubarb this weekend! HURRAH! I planted potatoes a few days ago, and I've got tomato seedlings I'll be putting in the ground this weekend too along with sowing the lettuce and broccoli :D

I've got potatoes, peas, radish and carrot in. All are up but the potatoes.

I think I'd wait till it got good and warm before doing the tomatoes. The cold will stop them from growing, till it warms up. If they get leggy, bury them up to the first leaf.

Rhubarb is supposed to be "rather sour". That's half the fun when you pick up a raw stock.
T
Theresa

When we were kids and Mom picked rhubarb, we got a stalk and a ''hat.'' I can still see our ''sour'' faces as we ate it :0)