However the leaves are not edible, as they contain high amounts of oxalic acid as well as calcium and potassium oxalate salts, collectively called oxalate. The plant grows up to three feet tall and wide at maturity. Images on this website may not be used without written consent from Nourse Farms. There you have it! The plant matures to three feet tall and wide and grows in Zones 3-8 for an April to June harvest. Discounts applied during checkout process.. Click here for more information on Kwelli Kwanza, and Imara Raspberry Varieties. Deep to pale red stalks that have a multitude of uses in the kitchen. You can harvest ‘Timperley Early’ as early as February or March if you force it indoors, or from April to June if you grow it outdoors. Gently scrape away the dirt until you find the pale, small bud, which should be pointed upward when you plant the root. How to Grow and Care for Peppermint Plants, How to Propagate Poinsettia Plants from Cuttings, The Complete Guide to Growing Winter Squash, Using Pheromones to Control Insects in Your Garden. Season. It says something about rhubarb that plants keep on producing pie-ready stalks for up to ten years. And it’s another cultivar that can tolerate warm temperatures despite its classified Zones of 3-8, making it an excellent choice for southern and northern gardens alike. For what I feel are obvious reasons, this heritage variety makes me feel like eating a slab of juicy red cow meat. It's the result of extensive cross breeding between selected plants. Rhubarb is a cool season perennial plant that is very winter hardy and resistant to drought. You can buy a 2-4 year old plant in a #2 container from Nature Hills Nursery. Course: Breakfast & Brunch. Chunks of rhubarb are mixed in, and apple slices and sliced almonds are laid right on top. Laura also writes novels and holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cherry Red Rhubarb 'Cherry Red' is a much-prized old South Australian variety grown in the trade for perhaps 60 years as the preferred year-round cropper in the Adelaide Hills. May - … Now, let’s find the best cultivar for you. Plant bare root balls, which are dormant rhubarb plants that have been excavated and wrapped in moss or soil to keep moist. Roast lamb or pork on a bed of rhubarb stalks – gives a lovely lemony flavour to the gravy. This good-natured variety grows happily in Zones 3-9, though it prefers cooler summers if possible. A very hardy variety, Crimson Cherry will perform well even in colder northern areas. And it’s a champion grower, yielding five to ten pounds of stalks from mature, established plants. It will be the same cultivar, but it may not have the same ruby-red stalk, stem thickness, or even size of Mama Rhubarb. The plant grows anywhere from three to four feet tall and wide. Plants ship between January - July, depending on zone. Water the crowns after planting. Growing up to two feet wide and three feet tall, this cultivar’s stalks are pinkish and pretty, with a deliciously sweet-tart flavor. This heirloom variety grows well in high and low altitudes alike, and it’s exceptionally easy to start from seed. Plant crowns, aka one-year-old rhubarb plants from a nursery. ‘Cherry Red’ thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 2-8, but it particularly loves the rolling hills and cooler climate of northern California. Because it is very TART, rhubarb is typically served with berries or sugar. If you grow it from a root ball, division, or crown, you can expect to harvest in about a year. Here’s the key: leave the bud and about an inch of the root ball above the soil to prevent the bud from rotting. COPYRIGHT © 2020 ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. Thompson’s Terrifically Tasty is one that I’d love to grow, if only because that is a fantastic (and mouthwatering) name. Whether you live in Alaska or somewhere much warmer, there’s a rhubarb variety for you to grow in your own garden. Thank you for sharing the idea, Pamela! Recently, nursery growers have been developing “day-neutral” varieties which continue growing through the autumn, such as Livingstone and Poulton’s. Plant ‘Cherry Red’ in full sun or part shade for best results, and enjoy fresh sticks from April to June. Developed in 1837 at the start of Queen Victoria’s reign, this variety pioneered the use of rhubarb in British and American cuisine. With reddish-green stalks that turn rose-pink when cooked, ‘Prince Albert’ makes a gorgeous pie filling or jam. This is a vigorous plant with deep-red color and large thick stalks. This variety is not to be confused by the “giant rhubarb” plant, Gunnera manicata, which is a different species, not related to rhubarb at all, except in its common name. And here’s the really neat thing: this variety can be harvested all the way from early spring and into late fall, hence its name. ‘Holstein’s Bloodred’ stalks are red as blood, through and through. Laura Melchor grew up helping her mom in the garden in Montana, and as an adult she’s brought her cold-weather gardening skills with her to her home in Alaska. Great for seasonal, holiday, and specialty uses; such as pies, candies, and preserves. She’s especially proud of the flowerbeds she and her three-year-old son built with rocks dug up from their little Alaska homestead. With fat red-and-green stems and a sweet, lightly tart flavor, you can use ‘Victoria’ in a slew of desserts, savory dishes, sauces, jams, and even punch. Where other varieties turn too bitter as the summer wears on, ‘Glaskin’s Perpetual’ has less oxalic acid than its siblings making it stay sweeter longer. Product photos via Burpee, Eden Brothers, Nature Hills Nursery, Outsidepride, and Treasures by Lee. But make sure to only take a few stalks during the first harvest – leave most behind for the plant, which only grows to two feet tall and wide at maturity. Let me know in the comments if you have, as I’m curious! A few cultivars that may look like this are ‘Victoria’ (with green inside and red outside), as well as ‘Early Cherry’ (aka ‘Crimson Cherry’) and ‘Timperley Early.’. Many varieties have stalks that are more green than red, or sometimes you’ll see a combination of the two on the same plant. My Alaskan friends all have rhubarb growing somewhere in their yards or gardens – sometimes planted by them, often planted by whoever first lived on the property. Some wild varieties have green stalks which never turn red. Big time. Trust me: if you haven’t tried cooking your own garden-grown rhubarb before, you’re missing out. We recommend a soil pH level of 6.0 - 6.8 for rhubarb crowns. It's a great resource for our customers, and it will lead you thrrough the entire planting process. So much so that it’s the kind I love to grow indoors during the winter for a summer transplant to the garden. Also, the plant can grow up to four feet tall and five feet wide. ‘Victoria’ needs full sun and cool weather to thrive, but you can grow it indoors or as an annual in warmer climates. I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten a savory side dish made from rhubarb with my Sunday roast. Delicious! Gift Certificates - a berry thoughtful idea! The following year, you’ll have so many stalks to harvest that you won’t know how to use them all. Oh, so very edible. Container growing is an option. This one features big, succulent stalks, matures to three to four feet tall and wide, and thrives in Zones 3-8. In French, this type of cake is called a 'Gateau Vite Fait' which basically means it can be quickly made! Ideal for forcing indoors or growing outdoors in Zones 3-8, harvest this variety in early April to late May for the best flavor. Rhubarb bears a light harvest in 2nd year and full harvest in 3rd year. In your food processor with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, finely ground pistachios, … Grow in Zones 3-8 and provide plenty of sunshine. This makes it ideal for those who have never tasted rhubarb before and are feeling anxious about the famously puckery nature of the vegetable. We highly recommend this variety for commercial growers and home gardeners. An almost exclusively green-stalked culviar, ‘Riverside Giant’ is one of the cold-hardiest varieties available. Some are heirlooms and others are hybrids – I’ll let you know which is which as we learn more about them. Copyrights © 2020 Noursefarms. (You’re welcome for the idea, by the way. Plant rhubarb crowns in the spring and look forward to tart, plump rhubarb stalks year after year. Alternately, grab a pack of 50 seeds from Amazon. This is due to its extra-sturdy, thick pink stalk, which isn’t prone to turning mushy and gross even after sitting in the freezer for three months. As a freelance writer, she contributes to several websites and blogs across the web. Can you share a photo, Deborah? Rhubarb is a popular crop in Scottish vegetable gardens as it tolerates the cold well. Great article, very interesting about the various varieties, thank you! While it’s technically a vegetable, it’s almost always used as a fruit in cooking, used in sweet, or sweet-and-tart recipes. Incorporate berry plants into your garden design! Extra-large root establishes quickly. The juicy red stalks would draw crowds. The unique pinky-green speckled stalks are ready for harvest from late spring to early summer. Here is more about what we do. ‘Cherry Red F1’ This is a new hybrid available from Kings Seeds. Mm, that does sound mouth-watering. Packed with information to help you review varieties and be successful. Ideal for those who love to harvest rhubarb to store for later use, ‘Sunrise’ freezes and cans exceptionally well. Just about every Alaskan enjoys rhubarb pie, especially with a huge helping of vanilla ice cream. Cherries season is as ephemeral as a lightening bug (apologies to all my west coast friends who have no association with … Consistent moisture is important, but it doesn’t like wet feet. Plural. The variety ‘German Wine’ (R. x coltorum)is a hybrid that’s excellent … Like celery, this plant features a firm petiole, or stalk, which is edible. Grown as a perennial in cooler regions, it can be grown as a winter annual in southern areas. Rhubarb. There are four ways to plant this tasty pie filling. With bright, “almost luminous”, red stems from top to bottom, it sounds lovely. Cut a few outer stalks with a knife at the base of the plant, and enjoy! In Zones 3-8, plant ‘German Wine’ from a root ball or crown division as soon as the earth thaws in the spring and enjoy your first harvest in a year. Grown from seed, ‘Victoria’ takes one to two years to mature and reaches mature dimensions of three feet tall and wide. Brush top with milk, and sprinkle on sugar. Thanks to its small stature, this variety would be my go-to for container gardening. So if you love certain characteristics of Victoria, grow it from a root ball or division, or buy it in crown form, like this set of six small ‘Victoria’ plants from Burpee. Let them grow all the way until the ground thaws the following spring. See our complete rhubarb growing guide here. That’s why this variety is ideal for those with patience and a need for an edible hedge. And it’s a variety that you can harvest a little sooner than some of the others. CHERRY-RHUBARB CRUMBLE: SUBSTITUTE fresh or frozen sliced rhubarb for raspberries. Named after Queen Victoria’s husband, the heirloom variety ‘Prince Albert’ has been around for over a hundred years. If you want to get a head-start on your harvest, it’s best to opt for divisions, nursery starts, or bare root balls instead of sowing seeds. Harvest tasty ‘Crimson Red’ stalks from April to June for the sweetest flavor. I love eating a slice of rhubarb pie at my favorite pie restaurant up here in Alaska while looking out of the window at the very patch of large, curly leaves and red-green stalks from whence it came. Just saw a post on FB showing a rhubarb plant that was green on the outside and red inside. Here’s how: start the seeds indoors at the end of spring or in early summer. Plant outdoors in the fall, winter, or early spring (as soon as the earth thaws). It can withstand temperatures as low as -40°F, making it hardy in Zones 3 (or even 2b in a cold frame) to 7. Because it is a long-lived perennial, take care in finding a sunny location for your rhubarb. You’ll be able to enjoy your own fresh ‘Crimson Red’ in just one year. Connoisseurs of rhubarb wine say it resembles a nice rosé wine, so vinos take note. Or, if the ground doesn’t get that cold where you live, simply transplant them outside about four weeks before the average last frost date. Of course, you can grow sweet-tart ‘Crimson Red’ even if you don’t live in the Pacific Northwest, as it thrives in Zones 3-8 and loves sunshine just as much as cloud cover. Wink, wink.). These Salty Oats - Adventures in Canning: Cherry Rhubarb Jam Especially when you add lots of sugar to it. Rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat (polygonaceae) family and is sometimes known as “pieplant.” It is a large, leafy-green plant with thick, celery-like stalks (petioles) that range in color from all red to all green, with shades of red and green mixed in between. Extremely slow to bolt, heirloom variety Hardy Tarty (also known as ‘Colorado Red’) produces reddish stalks that are as deliciously sour as the name suggests. Rhubarb Cherry Red NZ $4.95 A "must have" rhubarb with bright almost luminous red stems with colour extending to the veins of the leaves. For a brilliant crimson stalk that keeps its signature red color even once it’s cooked, try the adorably named ‘KangaRhu’. Add interest and grow beautiful, colorful fruit with great health benefits! That’s a lot of ‘Holstein’s Bloodred.’ You could pretty much set up a roadside stand and sell it to pie-hungry folks in your area. Thank you for reading and sharing the information about Scotland’s favorite varieties. Rhubarb grows best in fertile, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) grows all over the place up here in Alaska, and no wonder: it’s a supremely cold-hardy plant, although most cultivars thrive best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8. And here in the North, we use our pie plant. Cook and stir an additional 5 minutes. What Is the Difference Between Broccoli Rabe and Broccolini? Enjoy your ruby-red crop from April to June. ‘Victoria’ Seeds Available from Eden Brothers. We highly recommend this variety for commercial growers and home gardeners.Best in Zones 3-7. Pour filling into unbaked pie shell, and cover with pie crust. I’ve also got to get my hands on some Livingstone, because who doesn’t want extra time to make rhubarb pie?? I’ve searched but cannot find what kind it is. But this variety has that classic rhubarb look that can work in your favor as a roadside fruit and veg seller. Have you? Developed in chilly Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, this extra sweet variety is perfect for northern gardeners. Exclusive to Diggers, this rhubarb has been grown by generations of market gardeners in the highly productive Mornington Peninsula hinterland, south east of Melbourne. There’s a misconception that green stalks mean a plant is unripe, which isn’t true. Have a friend who admires your berry garden? Rhubarb generally grows best in well-draining, fertile soil that’s rich in organic matter. See our TOS for more details. It’s still the most widely available variety today. Like other cultivars, it can grow up to three to four feet tall and three feet wide. GARDENER'S PATH® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. Perfect for anyone who craves a rhubarb pie in the deep of winter and doesn’t have any fresh stalks on hand! They’re all excellent, but we’d love to know: do you prefer sweet or tart rhubarb? This cultivar grows two to three feet tall and wide at maturity, and loves a sunny spot in the garden. Annuals and Perennials: What’s the Difference? An excellent choice for midwest or even southern gardeners, ‘KangaRhu’ is hardy in Zones 4-8 but can take some heat, too. Rhubarb itself is a bit sour, but it makes for the perfect combination with this light and tasty cake. Best in Zones 3-7