While vegetables are usually grown as an annual, rhubarb is a permanent crop. It becomes more powerful year after year and delivers ever higher yields, provided the location is right.
Criteria for choosing a location
Lighting conditions
rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is, like asparagus and strawberries, a typical spring vegetable. Not only is it delicious, it is also very healthy thanks to its high vitamin C and fiber content. The ideal vegetable for a spring cure. The conditions at the respective location are decisive for successful cultivation. The common, common, vegetable or curly rhubarb is a real sun worshiper. Accordingly, he prefers sunny, warm and sheltered from the wind
Locations where it finds the best conditions in suitable soil. If necessary, it also thrives in partial shade, but then only develops relatively thin stems. Of course, the best possible yields not only require optimal lighting conditions, but also a soil condition that meets the requirements of the plant.Soil condition
In its natural habitat, rhubarb thrives on moist, humus and nutrient-rich soils. In order to do justice to this in the garden, the soil should first be prepared accordingly by deep digging and the thorough removal of all root weeds. Now it's about the quality or Condition of the soil.
- Rhubarb needs deep, fresh, medium-heavy and humus-rich soils
- Should be able to store water well
- Unsuitable for waterlogged substrates
- Soil should be free from harmful nematodes (roundworms)
- Ideally suited soils with a pH value between 5.6 and 7.2
- Loamy-sandy substrates are very good
- Work in plenty of deciduous humus in sandy soils to increase storage capacity
- Enrichment with compost or manure often makes sense
- Per square meter approx. three liters of compost and three handfuls of horn shavings
- Improve particularly loamy soils with sand or fine gravel
- Cultivation on plowed meadows is particularly promising
- After planting, cover the area with composted bark
Tip: Rhubarb is one of the so-called strong eaters, i.e. i.e., it has an increased need for nutrients. For this reason, planting in the immediate vicinity of a compost heap would be recommended, as this is where the soil is rich in nutrients.
Change of location and space requirements
Since this vegetable is a permanent crop, i.e. a perennial culture, it should be able to spread undisturbed over the years. The proximity to other types of vegetables is not a problem, as rhubarb gets along very well with many types. However, it should not be placed in the same place in the garden indefinitely.
- Grow rhubarb in the same location after five years at the earliest
- Change location and share stick after 8-10 years at the latest
- Divide the plant if necessary
- Due to its size, Rheum rhabarbarum requires sufficient space
- Minimum for smaller varieties, one square meter per plant
- Better for larger 130 x 130 cm
- Good neighbors are French beans, peas, cabbage, lamb's lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, broccoli
Tip: Only the red or green stems, depending on the variety, are suitable for consumption. Red-fleshed varieties are particularly aromatic and contain significantly less oxalic acid. You shouldn't eat rhubarb raw, just cooked it accordingly.