Rhubarb in a pot- worth trying?

[hamamelis]

One of my housemates is trying to get a bit of a container garden going in the sunny back yard, and (being from Yorkshire) asked me if rhubarb does OK in a pot.

I have no idea- I know it'll survive in one, but is it possible to get a crop worth bothering with or not? If so, how big a pot is needed, and what's the best growing medium to try? Has anyone given it a go? I have a packet of rhubarb seeds, so I'd be trying from those.

Thanks for any advice!

[Compo72]

I'm no expert but worth a go

After moving house , We inherited a large pot , full of Rhubarb
Which did very well last year ..
This year it has leaves coming through again

Remember to feed and water too at the correct times

Enjoy your rhubarb crumble like me last year



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[the big lebowski]

hi ham , I got a couple of rhubarb crowns from wilko`s for £2 each and put them in 5 liter pots with some all purpose compost and have got one started growin all ready as it grows I think i1ll transplante it to my allotment but you could always just move it to a bigger pot,cheers

[FB.]

Rhubarb can be prone to crown rot if over-watered, but won't produce much good growth if under-watered; it'll be a delicate balancing act to get the watering just right.

Potted plants also lack the ability to search for nutrients; their roots are restricted which can soon result in hungry or vigorous plants becoming weak and stunted.
Because you're pulling the leaves off rhubarb (to eat the stems) the plant is weakened in the process of harvesting and therefore the more stems that are pulled the more feeding the plant will need to replace what was lost.
My general rule is not to harvest more than half the stems on rhubarb; I tend to harvest the worst-placed leaves first (e.g. leaves which might sprawl onto a path or cover a nearby plant if they were left).

[Bigmallly]

Have just planted a fruiting crown in a large container of horse manure...........it's got 2 choices.........

[Jardiniere]

if you are growing from seed it will be a while before you have the problems F.B. has flagged up.
I have tried to grow from seed, was successful with a couple of plants two years ago...they are still tiny (but in the ground).You will eventually need a very large pot perhaps more of a trough?

[alldigging]

I grew some from seed and planted some it last year. They are looking good so far this spring.

The ones that stayed in pots are tiny! I have just put them n bigger pots of muck. They were a bit neglected last year so maybe that was why they're so small.

[KirstieSparkle]

Ive been thinking about rhubarb in my pots, purely because someone bought me some to plant. Also thinking maybe they won't do too well as I know the rhubarb in nans garden got huge.
Nay see if I can figure out what size pot to try it in and we can be pit rhubarb buddies (well, me n ur housemate lol)

[hamamelis]

Cheers for the advice, I'll go plant some now then!

We're just a bit limited for space in the back yard- especially space that gets sun, so I wasn't sure if it was worth trying or not. It sounds like it should be doable though, if not quite as productive as the stuff down the lottie. Not that my exisiting lottie plant did anything last year