Spring many amateur gardeners associate with the enjoyment of sweet and sour rhubarb stalks. This period is limited for most varieties. Harvesting technique, on the other hand, affects the yield in the coming harvest season.
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Harvest time
After you plant rhubarb in your garden, the plant needs time to grow and thrive. Harvesting takes place in the second year of standing and covers a comparatively short period of time. Weather and climate region play a significant role, so the range of harvest dates can be wider or narrower. In warm environments, harvest occurs earlier than in the harsh north. Ideally, perennials have been able to enjoy a few days of sunshine before the leaves are cut off, as plants use solar energy to build sugar. These times will serve as your guide:
- You can harvest rhubarb leaves between late March and early April
- usually the harvest takes place in May
- traditionally, harvest time ends on St. John’s Day, June 24
Avoid late harvest
Even if more leaves with juicy stems grow after the last recommended harvest date in summer, you should not harvest them. As the season progresses, perennials develop increasing amounts of oxalic acid, which becomes lodged in the petioles. Excessive amounts have negative effects on nutrient absorption in the body. In addition, the perennial needs the opportunity to regenerate when a second growth spurt occurs in late June. As a result, the rhubarb sprouts with full force in the coming year and again ensures a bountiful harvest.
Exceptions
Meanwhile, there are cultivars, which are no longer compatible with the generally accepted harvest dates. Basically, rhubarb varieties are divided into three groups based on the color of the petioles:
Group 1
green-stemmed varieties with green flesh
high yield
relatively sour taste
Group 2
crosses with red stems and green flesh
somewhat milder tasting
Group 3
completely red colored plant tissue
particularly delicate taste
Note: There tends to be more oxalic acid in green flesh than in red-fleshed petioles. Therefore, for green-stemmed varieties, follow the rough recommendations for rhubarb harvesting.
Here’s how the harvest period varies:
‘Goliath’ (Group 1) should only be harvested from April to mid-June.
harvested
‘Gigant’ (group 1) ends the harvest period already at the end of May
‘Livingstone’ (group 2) is ready for harvest in the first year and is harvested from March to October.
Champagne’ (Group 2) is considered an early maturing cultivar with a wider harvest window between May and early July.
‘Frambozen Rood’ (Group 2) is a medium-late variety that produces edible leaf stalks from April or May to late June.
‘Timperley Early’ (Group 3) allows harvest from February to the end of the harvest season with winter protection
Note: If your variety is labeled as fall rhubarb, you can harvest it into October. The so-called raspberry or strawberry rhubarb can usually be used until the end of June because of its red flesh.
Recognize degree of ripeness
Regardless of the variety of rhubarb, the ideal time for harvesting can be determined by some characteristics:
- fresh color and thick and juicy appearance of the stalks
- smooth tissue between the leaf veins
- the entire plant is upright
- no noticeable deficiency symptoms nor signs of drought stress
As the leaves get older, the plant tissue becomes more woody. You will notice this when you cut them off, because the fibers are harder to cut.
Tip: You can already use the still-young petioles as soon as the leaf area has unfolded. However, the flavor will be more aromatic if you wait a certain amount of time.
Harvest properly
In order not to stress the crop unnecessarily, you should proceed with caution and care when harvesting rhubarb. It needs sufficient reserves in the form of leaf mass, so that it can continue to grow. It is gentler on the plant if you harvest the leaves by hand rather than cutting them with a knife. This is because cuts provide entry points for molds and pathogens. From May onwards, the flowering period of rhubarb begins. To increase the harvest yield, you should break out the flower panicles before they blossom. Particularly vigorous specimens may retain an inflorescence as an ornamental. Here’s how to proceed when harvesting:
- Grasp rhubarb stalks at the base and twist them out in a clockwise direction
- do not harvest more than half of all the leaves at once
- ideally, leave two-thirds of the plant standing
Note: The leaf area is not suitable for consumption because of the high content of oxalic acid. Cut them off as well as the white stalk at the bottom of the stem and use only the rhubarb stems.
