Gardener to Farmer

Growing Rhubarb in the South

Yes, folks, it is time for my annual love fest with rhubarb. I can get a bit crazy about it...declaring my never ending love, creating sonnets, that sort of thing. And believe me, there is no way this season will go by without some wacky display. Yesterday, I started posting rhubarb recipes on Portland Foodie, and you can expect more to follow. And today I am inspired to share the love...I want to tell southern gardeners that yes, you CAN grow rhubarb.

Here's a bit of information I found on growing rhubarb as an annual. The process is very similar to growing peas in warmer climates:

"Rhubarb can be grown as an annual from seed in areas that have a cool season (like a cool winter in the southern parts of the US). Plant seeds in nursery pots, transplant outside when the plants about 3-4" tall. Harvest stalks as they mature. Be careful to not over water it as rhubarb can get root rot if the ground is too wet. ECHO ("Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization") has claimed good luck with planting rhubarb seed in August and harvesting in March-May. Seed grown rhubarb will have fewer plants with the intense red color stems we are used to, but tasting a pie grown from subtropical rhubarb can help one overlook that quickly! You will probably get a mix of plant colors ranging from green through pink with a few plants with red or partly red stems. The variety Victoria is extremely productive. Seeds can be purchased from Park Seed Co. Greenwood South Carolina, USA."

via www.rhubarbinfo.com

Another method that Amy Pollman of Oklahoma City uses:

"I am growing mine in pots and is doing great. When it gets real hot they go under the pecan tree. I have had one plant for 2 years now and just planted 2 more two weeks ago."

I had another friend in Oklahoma that grew them on the east side of her gazebo...morning sun only. The plant seemed very happy!

Alright southerners, let's see you plant some rhubarb! Send me questions, pictures and progress!

Growing Rhubarb: A Plant for Truly Lazy Gardeners

Ultimately, I consider myself a truly lazy gardener. If there is a way to make something I don't enjoy easier, faster, more pleasant, etc, I am all for it. If I can find someone else to do it, so much the better...things like weeding and watering fall squarely in that category. I would much rather be starting seeds, planting, cutting flowers, harvesting fruits and veggies and admiring mother nature. Really, if fun isn't involved, my interest level decreases significantly.

And let me tell you, growing rhubarb is packed with fun! Now, at first glance, this may seem like an odd statement. But, very few plants are as beautiful, produce as well and love neglect as my tart little friend here. Though they are a vegetable, we generally treat them as a fruit...so, I celebrate their spring arrival with visions of baked goods dancing in my heads. In fact, I just posted a recipe for Rhubarb Cake with Citrus Glaze on Portland Foodie and will be posting a recipe for Rhubarb Bread there tomorrow.

My love affair with rhubarb started about a year ago ("Can This Rhubarb Be Saved?") with a bag of starts I had purchased. I am sad to say that none of them survived. In fact, the one that was doing well, despite all odds, was dug out of the ground and carried away this spring by either a determined squirrel or raccoon.

But that won't stop me, I have a huge rhubarb plant that came with the house. I just harvested the first ruby red stems and they were oh-so-tasty (remember:the leaves are poisonous...so don't eat).

Growing rhubarb is easy...it needs very little from you. However, it does not like the heat, so growing it in southern gardens will be a challenge. Though I need to say that when I lived in Oklahoma, my next door neighbor grew some on a protected side of a pergola that only got morning sun. So hey, don't discount the power of micro-climates.

How to Grow:

• Rhubarb tolerates most soils, but since it is a perennial, plant it in a spot with relatively good soil where it can stay for a while
• It generally likes soil that is slightly acidic, so keep that in mind when fertilizing...give it several doses of a good organic fertilizer during the growing season or use an organic slow release fertilizer
• Make sure it doesn't dry out completely while producing and cut back flower heads to save the plant's energy

Really, that's almost more than I do...and certainly, you can be more proactive with your rhubarb, if  you like. The key is planting it in a place where the climate and site are conducive to growth. As with all plants, if you are working against mother nature, it will be a constant struggle. If you decide you want to try and be the best rhubarb grower ever, this is a site all about rhubarb...If you just want to grow some and have yummy baked goods, well, you can do that too!

Ode to Rhubarb

Ode –noun

1.	a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.

2.	(originally) a poem intended to be sung.

I wanted to start this post with an ode to rhubarb...but when I realized exactly how much work that would be, I nixed that idea. I mean, I am in LOVE with rhubarb, but even I have limits...so for now, let's just think of this as a metaphorical ode...although I might try singing my post after I write it.

Exciting news! Rhubarb will be making a second appearance this weekend at the Little Red Bike Cafe...If you missed its last appearance, better get there fast because it was gone in the blink of an eye. I will be taking it over on Friday morning...I'm just sayin'... And if you want to say hi to me, I will be dropping it off at 10 am...I am meeting an incredibly talented, and slightly off kilter, friend...LeAnn Locher who has a great blog, check her out...

Anyway, we will be cookin' up some mischief while eating yummy food and drinking good coffee. If you are one of those kind of people who show up early at the concert to try and get a glimpse of the rock star, then get there at 10 tomorrow and you will get a glimpse of the rhubarb. If, on the other hand, you would actually like to EAT the rhubarb...come in this weekend!

Is this an ode? Maybe not, but the passion is there people, even if you can't sing the post...

Rhubarb, My Beloved

And so, my love affair with rhubarb continues...I never expected to fall in love with it, I mean, who ever expects to fall in love? It just happens when the time is right...Do I believe in love at first sight? I don't know...maybe...Do I believe in fate? Definitely! And you will too after you read this post...

What you see before you is 3 pounds of luscious rhubarb... This vegetable, that is eaten like a fruit, has a tart, yummy flavor that tastes particularly good when paired with berries. The traditional matching is strawberry and rhubarb, but this year, I am trying cane berries, too. It can be used in many ways, but is usually an ingredient in sweet recipes...

But the reason my beloved rhubarb appears in another post is because it will be my first sale to the Little Red Bike Cafe! Isn't that totally exciting?!? Ali and Evan are really looking forward to developing some creative recipes for my darling vegetable. AND, if you go to the Little Red Bike Cafe this weekend, you will have a chance to meet the famous strong, but silent rhubarb from the front yard! Are you kidding? That's real time, people...you read it here, then eat it there...where else can you get the back story on the produce found at your local cafe?

It is fitting that this odd perennial vegetable/fruit that looks like something from Jurassic Park is the first plant I rescued, the first spontaneous edible plant find on our new property and the first sale from our new produce business. Each time I write a post about rhubarb, I think it has to be the last...I mean, there's only so much you can say...but it just keeps popping up in my life in new ways. Some would call this serendipity...some would call it fate...regardless of what it is, rhubarb will always hold a special place in my heart.

The Return of the Rhubarb

Remember when I adopted those sad little rhubarb plants at the discount store?

I didn't know if they would make it...yes, I spent plenty a sleepless night, walking the floor, worrying about my babies...ok, that might be a slight exaggeration...but, I was highly concerned.

Movie: The Return of the Rhubarb

Time: The Present, Scene: Girl, errr, Lady, ummm, Chick stumbles into greenhouse, looks stage left, sees the Return of the Rhubarb. Cue music: Theme from Gone With the Wind

Chick: Oh my God...it can't be, it can't be! I thought I'd lost you...oh, my sweet Rhubarb, I thought you'd left me forever!

Rhubarb: says nothing

Chick: Say something, please, anything! I thought you were dead! The kids and I had to sell the farm and move to a small half acre plot in suburbia just to survive!

Rhubarb: says nothing

Chick: Hello?!? What the bleep? Why aren't you saying anything? You left us here without a word...where have you been you (series of explatives)!

Rhubarb: says nothing

Chick: Fine, you know what? It's not like I have been faithful while you were gone...In fact, the kids' new father is out in front of the house right now...

Chick grabs Rhubarb and walks down long driveway to the front bed. Hidden amongst the scads of English Ivy, strangely beautiful leaves are poking out...

Narrator: During the time Chick thought Rhubarb was dead, she discovered Rhubarb II in the front yard. Rhubarb II was apparently planted by the previous owner of the property, and in the passage of time had become overgrown with Ivy.

Chick: Oh, Rhubarb, I could never stop loving you! There's room for more than one of you in my heart. I will find a place to plant you and care for you the rest of your life!

Rhubarb: says nothing

Chick: exasperated, rolls eyes, shakes head, walks off into the sunset with Rhubarb

End Scene

Can this Rhubarb be Saved?

There was a sale on bulbs, roots and tubers at the local discount place...I couldn't resist! I bought a bag of rhubarb (it's name is Victoria...no, I didn't name it, that was the name it came with) and brought it home. When I opened it, the little guys had already started to grow...and not necessarily in the right direction. So, I potted it up, hoping a little TLC would save it. Afterwards, I embarked on a mission to truly understand our friend the rhubarb plant.

I should mention that I have two gardening books, both of which I consider to be the Gardening Bible. The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (Rodale, 1979), also known as the Old Testament and The All New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (Rodale, 1997), also known as the New Testament. I have lots of other books, but these two are my faves.

Rodale says..."Rhubarb is one of spring's earliest vegetables. Weeks before the first strawberry ripens, you can enjoy the fresh, tart yet sweet flavor of rhubarb's red or green, celerylike leaf stalks in pies, jams and jellies. Don't eat the foliage thought: it's poisonous."

OK, note to self, eating leaves=poisoning. Got it. It goes on to say that it does well in places that have moist cool springs. No problem there. Rodale also says it is a perennial with few pests or diseases. Excellent! Nothing in the Good Book about what to do if it sat in a bag too long at the discount mart, but it sounds like a hardy thing...

Once it is established, I will put it in some nook in the garden...keeping in mind that it will be there for a very long time...We shall see how it progresses...