Ever grown rhubarb from seed?

blevinandwomba
blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Fruit

I have. I started Glaskins Perpetual 5 or 6 years ago, wintersowed if I recalled. I harvested for the first time this year. That might sound like a pretty bad testimonial, but I definitely could have harvested last year, and probably the year before that. Also, my poor rhubarb has had a rather rough life, that includes a bad location and a few run ins with the lawn mower.

Anyhow, I can attest to the deliciousness of this homegrown rhubarb! I have made pineapple-rhubarb bars and blueberry rhubarb jam this week- both so good.

Comments

  • Homestead Hubby
    Homestead Hubby Posts: 40 ✭✭✭

    I just inherited 3 plants. Around here MINN they use it for a lot of things. Cobblers and pies. Im a brewer and thinking of mixing it with Strawberries in a Wheat beer. One of the breweries here is putting it in a seltzer. So maybe mix it into drinks. Enjoy

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba the jam and bars sound yummy! Maybe you could share your recipies?

  • tomandcara
    tomandcara Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba How cool! I have never considered growing it from seed until reading your post. I love the blueberry rhubarb desert my wife has made. Now we have to explore rhubarb and pineapple.

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    @maimover I don't really have a recipe for the "jam"; I just cooked fresh rhubarb and frozen blueberries with a tiny bit of water until cooked down and thick, then I added honey to taste.

    As for the rhubarb bars- the filling was great but the bars were not. I cooked 2 c. chopped fresh rhubarb with 1/2 c. crushed pineapple in juice. When it was mostly done I added some a dash of salt, orange peel, and a few tbs. coconut sugar and honey. The coconut sugar made it an ugly color, so I added two tsp. finely grated fresh beet.

    @tomandcara my great-aunt used to make a rhubarb jam with pineapple, and it was really good. I don't have her recipe, but that is what inspired the filling.

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba I guess the honey thickens it up; will have to give it a whirl. Thank you for sharing.

  • DebiB
    DebiB Posts: 92 ✭✭✭

    I have to admit I’ve always used rhubarb divisions never tried seeds. I found some information from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange as to what they recommend. https://www.southernexposure.com/blog/2015/02/growing-rhubarb-from-seed/

    I love everyone sharing rhubarb recipes, my favorite (which I’ve lost) was grandma’s rhubarb cake. It was like a coffee cake with rhubarb baked in and it was sooooo good.

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    Interesting project. I use only splits for propagating rhubarb.

    The flower buds are to delicious deep fried with beer batter. 🤤😉

  • tomandcara
    tomandcara Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba Your bar "recipe" is great. I love the idea of adding  two tsp. finely grated fresh beet to give it a beautiful red color. I have seen rhubarb plants with red stalks and others with green stalks. To me they seem to taste the same.

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    @tomandcara I hear that seed grown rhubarb tends to be greener, but mine is fairly red. Unfortunately I am down to one plant, as I transplanted the only other survivor of the lawn mower wars, and it died last week. The remaining plant is very vigorous, and I'm hoping to divide it in the fall.

  • tomandcara
    tomandcara Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba Oooh, that is so sad. At least you have one surviving one of you seed grown rhubarb plants. Even better, it is very vigorous. That one surviving plant has the potential to become many. become many.

  • tammyrichardsmt9
    tammyrichardsmt9 Posts: 109 ✭✭✭

    I have rhubarb plants I got from the nursery where my son works. This season I am trying to grow some from seed. Right now the starts are about 1/2 inch tall. I am hopeful they will grow, as I love Rhubarb Muffins!

  • tomandcara
    tomandcara Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭

    @tammyrichardsmt9 keep us posted and be careful with your lawnmower!

  • 7207chablis
    7207chablis Posts: 46 ✭✭✭

    I tried to grow rhubarb from seed in Mexico, in Indianapolis, in France and in Germany and failed in each country... In the best cases, it will start to grow but will remain really tiny. I have never been able to harvest anything and have been very frustrated. So I decided to take some of my parents backyard in France and transported them to Germany. In France they were growing very well but not in Germany. Last year I just made a pie...

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    I had a wonderful rhubarb patch that I started from seed in Pennsylvania. Have tried several times here in north Alabama, but I think that we don't usually get enough winter weather to grow it here. Will try again. I am the perennial optimist!

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    @MissPatricia It might help to wintersow the seeds. In other words, start it outside in the winter; it cold treats the seeds. Maybe your January weather would be cold enough?

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2021

    I have seeds. And I missed doing a winter sowing with them So I will put moist soil in a bag and put the seeds in the fridge for a few weeks to give them a cold treatment. It will be fun to see how they do

    I agree with @blevinandwomba that a cold treatment would probably them them sprout. Good luck @MissPatricia

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for the seed hints! We have rhubarb, but wanted more so bought root cuttings and seeds. I didn't think about the winterizing. Good on ya!

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2021

    Ashley from Self Reliance has a good article about freezing rhubarb when you get a bountiful crop.


    Plus an article with rhubarb recipes.


  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks. I was wondering if I could grow it from seed. That's the only thing I can get through Customs.

  • Sharie
    Sharie Posts: 276 ✭✭✭

    I've grown quite a few from seed. That's the only way really for someone who lives in a place with no rhubarb. It's one of my all time favorite foods. They don't get very big here in Ecuador but it's better than doing without! They needed a lot of coddling and daily checking for bugs for month until they looked strong enough to put in the ground. I bought every possible variety of seed but now that my little signs are so faded I don't know which variety is best. I'll plant some more as they might only grow like annuals. It's all an experiment!

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    Thank you, 'blevinandwomba'. I shall certainly try planting in January and hope that works. Or maybe I'll try several staggered plantings in several areas. I would love to have some rhubarb.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @Sharie How is your rhubarb experiment doing?

  • Sharie
    Sharie Posts: 276 ✭✭✭

    Three of them died. I have one that I've harvested a few stalks from which is pretty exciting in a country with no rhubarb! It's windy season now so not much grows but it's doing quite well despite it all. It does need a fair bit of water though.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks, @Sharie . That's nice to know. Plant 4 times what you want and give them plenty of water. We grew them in Michigan, where we had plenty of humidity. It's dry here 8-9 months out of the year, so it will have to be in a pot.

  • Sharie
    Sharie Posts: 276 ✭✭✭

    If they don't have enough water will the stems grow shorter? I have one plant left with massive leaves and very short stems, about 8" or so. I have not watered it regularly.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Sharie According to what I found online, yes. It needs regular deep watering to grow longer stems. But I say short is better than none.😉

  • Sharie
    Sharie Posts: 276 ✭✭✭

    Thank you. I just harvested 4 stems which should give me about 3 tablespoons of finished product 😂

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That's enough to flavor strawberry jam.😂