Rhubarb

Rhubarb: plant 90 cm (35 in) apart in the row and 90 cm (35 in) between rows, 1 plant per 9 squares. No known bad neighbours.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	90 cm (35 in)
Between rows	90 cm (35 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 plant per 9 squares
Sun	Part sun, 4–6 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	70 cm (28 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Planting

How it is started	By dividing a clump, from a bought plant
Cuttings per planting hole	1
When to plant	Indoors 8 weeks before the last frost; outdoors before the last frost; soil at least 8 °C

Care

Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Hardening off	10–14 days
Life cycle	Perennial
Cold tolerance	Hardy, takes hard frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, free draining, pH 6–7
In a pot	—
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while growing
Feeding	Moderate; in spring, after harvest
Support and training	None needed; blanch by covering

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	1–2 years, from planting
Ready when	The stem is thick enough
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 6–10 weeks
Typical yield	2–4 kg per plant
Botanical family	Polygonaceae
Watch out for	Slugs and snails, rust
First crop after	2 years
Pollination	Fruits on its own

Plan Rhubarb in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Rhubarb onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Mar–Apr
Harvest	Apr–Jun

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Rhubarb →

From the same family

Plants of the Polygonaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

What to plant after Rhubarb

Crops that still have time to grow on the same spot once it is lifted, from another rotation group.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Illinois vegetable planting dates, spacing and seeds (2020) — University of Illinois Extension for: sowing depth, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31

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