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Harvest according to the age of the rhubarb. It is important not to pull any stems into first year of growth plants, as this will seriously weaken the already growing plant. Allow each plant to develop a strong root system the first year and leave the stems intact (they will come and go on their own).

• In the second season, during the first two weeks there will be a single harvest, and only those stems that are large enough should be selected, always leaving more stems on the plant.
• In subsequent years, you can harvest rhubarb throughout the harvest period. From the third year onwards, you will find that rhubarb can be harvested over a period of around 8 to 10 weeks.

Determine when the stem is ready to harvest. Rhubarb stems are ripe when they are between 1.5cm/0.5in and 2.5cm/1in wide. They should be fairly firm and a uniform dark pink or maroon color.

Collect the stems by twisting. Pluck the stem as close to the base of the plant as possible.

• Pull gently while twisting to ensure the stem comes out cleanly. Rhubarb stems Always should be curled straight from the crown, since by twisting or pulling you remove most plants, and this stimulates the roots to produce more stems. Never dig up or prune the plant as this will not encourage the same vigorous growth.
• If this is rhubarb's second season, pull only two stems from each plant, leaving at least five healthy stems for continued growth.
• In subsequent seasons, it will be sufficient to remove three or four stems from the plant until you are left with the same number of stems still growing. It is recommended to harvest only a third of the plant each season to avoid overloading it.

Rhubarb is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the buckwheat family, with a powerful rhizome and large leaves located on thick and long petioles. The petioles grow up to 80 cm in length and up to 4 cm in thickness, their weight can reach up to 1 kg. In this article we will talk about the rules for growing and harvesting rhubarb.

The best varieties of edible stems

Growing rhubarb on the site is not limited to just one variety of this plant. When choosing a variety, you need to pay attention to the ripening time and color. Green petioles are used for making puree and cabbage soup, and red petioles are used for cooking jelly and compote.

Did you know? According to preserved data dating back to 2700 B.C. BC, healers from Ancient China considered the rhubarb plant to be healing. Dried rhubarb root was used as an antipyretic, laxative and body cleanser.

• "Robin"– early ripening variety (first harvest 30 days after spring regrowth). The length of the petioles is from 30 to 44 cm. This variety of rhubarb has an average shoot-forming ability.

• "Obskoy"– mid-early variety (harvest 60-69 days after germination). The length of the petioles is 22-23 cm. This variety is cold-resistant, but does not tolerate drought.

• "Stubborn"– early ripening variety (harvest 41-44 days after spring regrowth). The length of the petioles is 49-55 cm. This variety is not prone to abundant flowering.

Climatic conditions for rhubarb

The rhubarb plant is unpretentious, tolerates different climatic conditions (cold, drought), can grow in the shade, and is resistant to pests and diseases.

Important! In one place, rhubarb grows for a very long time and produces a harvest - 15 years or more.

How to plant rhubarb correctly

You can plant rhubarb in your garden using two methods: vegetative (transplanting and dividing rhubarb bushes in the spring) and seeds (through seedlings).

Did you know? In ancient times, rhubarb buds were considered a delicacy, and in northern Asia they are still eaten today. Ancient China is considered the birthplace of garden rhubarb; the first records date back to the 27th century. BC. (entries in herbalists).

Many novice agronomists ask the question, “How to properly plant rhubarb from seeds?” First, you need to soak the seeds in water until they swell, then germinate them under damp gauze or burlap. When white sprouts (1-2 mm long) emerge from the seeds, the seeds must be dried until they flow and then sown.

Sowing must be done in late April - early May using the row method.(distance between rows 25 cm). The seeds are planted to a depth of 2-3 cm. When 1-2 leaves grow on the seedlings, they are thinned out (the rhubarb should be left in rows at a distance of 20 cm). Subsequently, the grown rhubarb seedlings are weeded, loosened, fed with fertilizers and watered.

By autumn, seedlings grow to 20-30 cm and have 3-4 well-developed leaves. Overwintered rhubarb seedlings need to be dug up for planting in early spring. Roots or sections of rhizomes with buds (just starting to grow) are planted in the holes using a shovel (at a distance of 100 by 80 cm or 100 by 100 cm). When planting is late, the leaves of the plant (strongly developed) must be removed. During planting, the rhubarb root is pressed tightly with soil, and the bud is covered with soil by no more than 1-2 cm (if the soil is not wet enough, it is watered during planting).

Vegetative method

Sometimes, novice agronomists ask themselves another question: “How to grow a plant vegetatively?” With this method of propagation, rhubarb bushes are dug up in early spring. Their root system is divided into parts with a knife (each part should have 1 - 2 growth buds with roots). One root system produces 5-10 planting roots. Divided root systems should be planted immediately.

Caring for rhubarb - fertilizing, watering, weeding and replanting

Caring for rhubarb involves weeding, watering, loosening the rows and removing flower shoots, as well as fertilizing and replanting. Once a season, rhubarb should be fertilized (with mineral and organic compounds). When peduncles appear on rhubarb, they also need to be removed (peduncles draw all useful and nutrients from the plant). In the fall, you should remove all rhubarb plants with weak, thin and short petioles, and cut off almost the entire vegetative part of healthy ones.

Replanting rhubarb is quite difficult, due to the highly developed root system and large size of the bush. It is preferable to do this in early spring, before the above-ground part has grown back. But it is better, nevertheless, to propagate the rhubarb root system vegetatively.

Harvesting rules

The rhubarb harvest must begin in the second year (if planted vegetatively) or in the third year (if planted through seeds). When the roots reach a length of 25-30 cm, they can be cut off(for the first time - 3-4 sheets). Every 10-12 days you can cut off more leaves (but 3-4 leaves should remain on the plant after cutting). In most cases, rhubarb is cut 3-4 times.

Now it is almost impossible to surprise with this plant. Many people grow it in their summer cottages. It is used to make jam, compotes, and pie filling. It’s not enough to grow a plant; you need to know when to harvest rhubarb so that it is as useful as possible.

When to harvest rhubarb?

If you are a lover of fresh herbs and early vegetables, then rhubarb is just for you. Already in May you can see its young leaves on pink petioles. At this time they are as juicy and tender as possible. After cleaning, they can be used even in fresh, and some prepare salads from them, stew and boil them.

After some time, the rhubarb begins to bloom and then the petioles become coarser. The second wave of their collection will take place in July, when they begin to grow again. It is not recommended to eat old rhubarb petioles; they not only become rough and tasteless, but also harmful.

When can you harvest rhubarb roots?

The roots of this plant are used for medicinal purposes. Their harvesting should be carried out in the spring even before the leaves appear or closer to autumn, when flowering is already completed and the above-ground part of the rhubarb begins to die. This usually occurs in September-October.

When to harvest rhubarb for jam?

It is probably clear that it is advisable to make jam from the tender shoots of the plant, so they should be prepared in the spring, when they are pink and soft. The petioles are cut 20-30 centimeters long, or rather they are not cut, but broken out. To ensure that the petioles are as juicy as possible, the plant should be watered for some time before harvesting.

To make jam, you should not collect old rhubarb petioles, so the flowering period is not suitable for this purpose. As you age, not only do the petioles become coarser, but they also accumulate a lot of oxalic acid, which can negatively affect your health.

Rhubarb is one of the wonders of nature in the world of the sorceress of flora. In addition to its external beautiful characteristics (it is a lush bright green bush, the leaves of which grow on red-pink legs - petioles), it has healing properties. nutritional properties and belongs to the vegetable crop. The taste of rhubarb petioles is very piquant, slightly extravagant, with sourness.

In today's cooking, rhubarb is used in almost all cuisines of the world. Its juicy petioles are used to prepare jelly, marmalade, compotes, sauces, and even use it as a filling for pies. Here's how much you can make from this unique leafy vegetable. Rhubarb lends itself well to freezing, which is what prudent housewives take advantage of when stocking up for the winter.

Also in Ancient China Doctors prescribed rhubarb tinctures and decoctions for patients to drink as a laxative. Rhubarb has also long been considered an excellent antipyretic and cleanser of toxins from the body. Already in a time closer to us, at the beginning of the twentieth century, biochemist scientists discovered and officially recognized rhubarb as a vegetable, with unique content contains substances that are simply necessary for human health. Rhubarb petioles are a storehouse of apple and citric acid, huge amount vitamin C, mineral salts of potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, large amounts of iron, boron and aluminum.

That's it. And if you plant this miracle - a bush - on your plot, then for twelve whole years you will become the owner of this repository, and every year you will saturate yourself with all these treasures, gradually getting rid of all sorts of diseases and infirmities.

You can start harvesting rhubarb at the end of May. This amazing treasure was given to man by nature precisely when the body most requires replenishment with vitamins and minerals, and yet other vegetables and herbs are not yet ripe at all by this time! So, in the first year of rhubarb ripening, you can cut from one bush no more than three, well, four petioles, which have reached a height of twenty-five centimeters and a width of two to three centimeters.

In the second year of rhubarb ripening, you will be able to choose thicker and longer petioles. They will already reach half a meter in height, and it will be possible to cut up to fifteen petioles from one bush. Rhubarb will begin to bring you the largest harvest only in the fourth or fifth year. By this time, the tallest petioles will grow. And in one season you can easily collect up to five kilograms of juicy, tasty and healthy petioles.

Rhubarb should be harvested every fifteen to twenty days, from late May to mid-July. Further, until the end of summer, harvesting stops due to the fact that rhubarb begins to accumulate in its petioles a large number of oxalic acid. Oxalic acid in large doses is known to be very harmful to the human body, especially the elderly.

When your rhubarb harvest gets so large that you don't know what to do with it, freeze it. Believe me, blizzard and cold winter, you really want something summer, fresh, healthy and tasty. And with great joy you will be able to enjoy and feel the touch of warm summer by eating some fresh rhubarb.

To preserve all the beneficial qualities of this miracle vegetable when freezing, take fresh petioles, peel them from coarse fibers, cut them into small pieces, pour boiling water over them, dry them, put them in a tray and place it in the freezer.

Be sure that in winter you will get the real pleasure of preparing dishes with fresh summer vegetable- rhubarb.

by Notes of the Wild Mistress

More than 30 types of rhubarb are known, differing from each other in the configuration of their leaves. It grows quickly and does not require special care. Medicines are made from the root.

It is better to collect rhubarb in August-early September, because when collected late, the medicinal value decreases. Rhubarb root contains acids, resinous and tannins, and carotene. It can be stored for up to 5 years.

The petioles of rhubarb leaves are used as food for making salads, compotes, and jam. They are very rich in vitamins C, B, A, contain sugar up to 2.5%, as well as 3.5% organic acids (mainly malic, citric, oxalic, succinic), potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium salts.

It is recommended to harvest rhubarb no more than twice, since at the end of summer oxalic acid accumulates in the leaves, which is not very beneficial to health. The youngest rhubarb petioles have a bitterish-sour taste, while the mature ones already acquire a sweetish-sour taste.

Use of rhubarb in medicine and contraindications

Rhubarb root is officially considered a medicinal raw material, from which powders, tablets, syrups, decoctions, and tinctures are produced. 3-4 year old roots are harvested in the fall, cleaned and dried. And in early May, at the time of the first ripening, you can collect its petioles, which are immediately used for food, or stored, if they are not damaged, at a temperature of 0 degrees in a plastic bag for a month.

Official medicine has confirmed the effectiveness of rhubarb root preparations for gastritis, colitis, enteritis, dyspepsia, intestinal atony, rectal fissures, hemorrhoids, and flatulence.

It should be noted right away that rhubarb is contraindicated in acute appendicitis, cholecystitis, acute peritonitis, obstruction, intestinal strangulation, gastrointestinal bleeding and pregnancy. Oxalic acid, which is found in rhubarb more than in any other vegetable, is deposited in the body tissues in the form of crystals. This is how you can develop rheumatism, arthritis, and urolithiasis. This property of the plant can primarily affect older people and small children with weak kidneys.(!!)

Use of rhubarb in folk medicine

IN folk medicine Rhubarb has long been used for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the liver and biliary tract, catarrh of the stomach with low acidity, inflammation of the intestines, jaundice, anemia, tuberculosis. The rhizomes and roots of the plant are part of a complex bitter tincture, gastric and choleretic preparations. Dry root powder is sprinkled on wounds and burns. And in Chinese medicine, rhubarb is used internally and externally. Inside - as a choleretic, anti-inflammatory agent; externally - for skin diseases, psoriasis and vitiligo.

Rhubarb is good for constipation. Rhubarb petioles should be cut 2-2.5 cm long, boiled until soft with fresh mint leaves and pieces of orange peel. Strain through a colander, wipe the contents of the colander. Put it back on the fire, add sugar and starch. Instead of orange peels, you can use any jam from last year.

In small doses (0.05-0.3g), rhubarb has a strengthening effect, and in large doses (0.5-1g), on the contrary, a mild laxative effect. That is, if you have constipation, rhubarb jelly will help in the evening, and if you have diarrhea, it is better to dissolve a little crushed root in boiled water (on the tip of a knife).

Cleaning rhubarb from oxalic acid

There are several ways to extract unconditional benefits from a vegetable. Firstly, it is better to use rhubarb, as in homeopathy, in microdoses. Secondly, rhubarb juice should only be drunk freshly squeezed and mixed with other juices - carrot, celery or apple. Thirdly, oxalic acid can be removed from rhubarb.

To remove oxalic acid, you need to pass the rhubarb petioles through a meat grinder, add boiled water to the juice, squeeze again after 12 hours and heat it up. Add crushed chalk to the liquid, stir and leave for 2 days. All excess will sink to the bottom in white flakes. Pour into clean dishes, sweeten with honey and give before meals to children recovering from illness and the elderly.