Rhubarb

[Thesebootsweremadeforwalking]

We inherited some rhubarb with our house (moved in Autumn, so we're still finding out what's already there), and the plant is looking quite big.

When do you harvest rhubarb, how do you tell when it's ready, and do you cut each stalk back to ground level?

TIA

You pull rather than cut (pull right at the base of the stalk), and harvest when the sticks look a reasonable size (so I'd take stalks noticeably thicker than my thumb).

You can start harvesting whenever there are stalks of a decent size, and I would stop when the other soft fruit comes in, so say mid/end June. Cut out any flowering stalks if you get any.

The reason to stop btw is to allow the plant to build up strength for next year. Its good to mulch with some compost/muck as well at the end of the season to feed it up a bit.

Brilliant, thank you!