GardenPerennial Plant · zones 4–7 · 17 varieties
Rhubarb
Rheum rhabarbarum
Polygonaceae — the same plant family as sorrel and buckwheat. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a perennial plant for USDA zones 4–7. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–3 yr. Watch for rhubarb curculio and crown rot. Below: its full sourced profile from 8 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is started indoors. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 4–7
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–7est
- Soil texture
- Loam, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Hardy
No published figure for the temperature that would kill it and a heat limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 2–4 ft
- Mature spread
- 3–4 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderateest
- Spacing in row
- 36 in
- Between rows
- 48 in
- Planting depth
- 1–2 in
- Container size
- 15–25 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Division, Seed
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1 in/wk
- Critical water
- Establishmentest
- Feeding
- Heavy
Timing & fruiting
- Years to first harvest
- 2–3 yr
- Harvest cues
- Stem reached harvest size
- New spring growth holds to
- 28 °F
Edible parts per source: petiole.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the petiole; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PeopleOxalic acid, Toxic leaves
Petsdogs, cats, horses
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Days | Color | Disease | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Red | — | Red | Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold | |
| Cherry Red | — | Red | ||
| Chipman's Canada Red | — | Red | Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. describes this astakes the cold | |
| Colorado Red | — | Red | ||
| Crimson Red | — | Red | Territorial Seed Company describes this astakes the cold | |
| German Wine Heirloom | — | Pink | WILT_RESISTANT ROT_RESISTANT | |
| Glaskins Perpetual | — | Green, Red | ||
| Holstein Bloodred Heirloom | — | Red, Green | ||
| MacDonald | — | Red | ROOT_ROT_RESISTANT | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the cold |
| Prince Albert Heirloom | — | Red | ||
| Riverside Giant | — | Green | ||
| Ruby | — | Red | ||
| Strawberry Heirloom | — | Red | ||
| Timperley Early Heirloom | — | Red, Green | ||
| Turkish | — | Green | ||
| Valentine | — | Red | Ohio State University Extension records this asslow to run to seed in heat | |
| Victoria Heirloom | — | Green, Red |
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- NC State Extension
- Ohio State University Extension
- Penn State Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
- Utah State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 16 of the 21 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
Growing more than rhubarb? Browse all crops, or grab the spacing calculator and frost date lookup. The GardenTrack app (now in beta) remembers what you planted and where, then tells you what to do and when. Join the beta →