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picked rhubarb

treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,923
in Fruit & veg

I've been down on my older people allotment this morning and had a new client, I turn around and she's pulled all the rhubarb stalks off our new (as in planted this year) rhubarb plant. I can't blame her, she has dementia and I hadn't told her not to pick it like I have the rest of the clients as she was on her first visit.

is this as bad as I think it is? could we loose the plant over winter?

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  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949

    I'm afraid the only really accurate answer is: Possibly.

    My rhubarbs are fairly late into the season now and are all dying back. It COULD be that yours have sent enough essentials to the roots to come back next year as if nothing had happened, although perhaps weaker than had it had a few more weeks.

    We'll see come Spring!

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,146

    Lots of tlc - mulch with manure and we'll all keep our fingers crossed image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    I'm digging up this old thread to ask when I can start harvesting my rhubarb? I've never grown it before and planted two crowns in May which are looking quite happy and healthy but I haven't picked any yet as I wanted it to settle in.
    When can I start getting on with the crumbles and gin?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,146
    Not yet ... I would take a couple of pickings next spring, removing no more than one third of the stems at a time ... The following year you can pickore but never ore than a third of the stems and never pick after the beginning of July. 
    In the meantime plenty of organic mulch and dont let it dry out.  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    Thanks @Dovefromabove. That seems like ages but I'll start on the apples first.  :)
  • IamweedyIamweedy Posts: 1,364
    This rhubarb info is really useful to me and I didn't need to even need to ask. :)



    'You must have some bread with it me duck!'

  • Villaverde123Villaverde123 Posts: 196
    Me too.  So, to recap - Rhubarb planted this year needs to just die down and then be mulched in the Autumn? ready to pick a third next year?
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384
    Yep! :)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • BLTBLT Posts: 525
    Interesting, I did not pull any stems the first 2 yrs..  But a few months ago my grandkids were picking rhubarb for there mum.. I turned my back for 5 minutes and they picked every single stem.Argh!! But you can't replace them. All I could do was water, mulch amd then cober with a bucket and hope.. It did recover and I only pick 1/3 at a time..So I hope yours will be ok..
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