Growing organic rhubarb is one of the easiest ways to bring a brightly coloured, extravagant plant in to your garden. Fantastic in preserves, crumbles or even on it's own, Rhubarb is a firm favourite of gardeners across the UK.

Growing calendar
Plant out/transplant	Sep - Apr
Harvest	Apr - Jul

How to grow rhubarb

Rhubarb is grown from 'sets', young plants from a divided root ball. It is a perennial crop so you will be able to harvest stems from the same plant year after year.

Space sets 90cm apart in rows with 30cm between each row. Choose well-drained but moist soil in a sunny sheltered site.

Remove weeds around the plants and clear away yellowing leaves or leaves killed by frost.

Harvesting and using rhubarb

Harvest rhubarb from their second year. Gently pull (not cut) 30cm long stems, leaving at least half of the stems growing.

You can force rhubarb for an earlier crop of pink stems by covering the crown with a large pot that will block out the light.

Tips on growing rhubarb

Water rhubarb well. Mulch to conserve moisture but avoid burying top buds ('crown') as they may rot.

Growing notes
Difficulty	Easy
Average time to harvest	From 12 months
When to prune	Remove dead leaves in autumn
Equipment needed	Mulch (eg compost)
Average plant size	60cm tall, 90cm wide
Seed saving notes	Specialist
Key nutritional content	Vitamin C