How to - Rhubarb

[Mumbles]

Hello

My rhubarb plant has starting sprouting what I assume will be rhubarb stalks and about an inch away from the crown it looks like a rhubarb stalk has emerge also.

My question is what now? As I understand I can't harvest and eat this year? Do I just cut it down at the end of the season or leave it?

Thanks

[arpoet]

If you get some nice stems in a month or so, i would pull some and eat it. You can put on lots of manure, but i prefer mine with custard.

[fishpond]

Don't take too many though, as the plant needs to build up energy this year.
If you get too much, you can always send them to me.

[Martin H]

Just leave it to do its own thing, all the leaves and stems will die away in the autumn and it will retreat back underground.

I guess it's its first year, so don't take more than a leaf or two and not even that unless it has plenty.

It does like a nice rich soil, so give it a decent mulch with any organic matter you have handy, such as farmyard manure (but not custard).

[skeggijon]

I know its not ideal to take any in the first year, but hey I'm sure most of us get tempted - I know I do.
I'll refrain from taking part in the manure/custard jokes

[Mumbles]

I will see how many stalks I get/ how much self control I have then when it comes to picking and eating.

Must remember though custard in the garden manure in the bowl!?!

[KevinM67]

If you get some nice stems in a month or so, i would pull some and eat it. You can put on lots of manure, but i prefer mine with custard.

I'm in stitches with that line.

[Kristen]

I definitely wouldn't take any harvest this year - personally I can't see that just taking a couple of stalks makes a meal worth having, at the expense of the plant building up strength for future years.

Exceptions would be if you have planted a massive root, and it comes up with plenty of stalks (even that is a maybe for me!) and if you have planted a new variety (rather than moved an existing, known-good, root) and you want to check that it is actually a good flavour etc. so you can chuck it and get a different one in the ground thereby saving at least one season to maturity.