Can I harvest rhubarb in August

Table of Contents Show

Don't cut those rhubarb stalks! Here's why it's a bad idea, and how to harvest rhubarb the right way.
Harvesting Rhubarb the Right Way
How to Harvest Rhubarb
When to Harvest Rhubarb
Can I pick rhubarb in August UK?
Can you harvest rhubarb in early August?
Can rhubarb be harvested in late summer?
When should you not pick rhubarb?

Don't cut those rhubarb stalks! Here's why it's a bad idea, and how to harvest rhubarb the right way.

Harvesting Rhubarb the Right Way
How to Harvest Rhubarb
When to Harvest Rhubarb

Harvesting Rhubarb the Right Way

That rhubarb in your garden is ready — so what’s the best way to harvest it? You might assume it’s fine to simply cut the stalks off. It’s not. Instead, learn to harvest rhubarb the right way. It’s easy to do, and best of all it benefits the plant.

Leave that knife in the drawer. It’s all about the pull and twist! When stalks are sliced with a knife, the part left behind withers away… and that’s it. In contrast, twisting and pulling off the stalk allows it to separate from the bottom of the plant near the roots. This tells the plant to regrow a new stalk, giving you a more fruitful harvest and a healthier rhubarb plant.

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How to Harvest Rhubarb

Find a stalk on your rhubarb plant that’s ready to be picked. Grasp the stalk near the bottom. Lean it to the side and in one motion gently twist and pull the stalk up. The stalk will pop, separate from the rhubarb plant at the root and come cleanly away.

The twisting and pulling motion should be gentle. If the rhubarb stalk doesn’t come away immediately, grasp it lower and try leaning it in the other direction. If you find that the whole plant is coming out of the ground when you pull the stalks, pack it more firmly into the soil around the roots.

Remember that only the rhubarb stalks are edible, so cut off the rhubarb leaves and discard them.

When to Harvest Rhubarb

Give new rhubarbs plants at least a year before harvesting for the first time. When you’re looking at the stalks, the color doesn’t indicate readiness, so don’t worry if your rhubarb stalks are not completely red. Instead, check the length. The stalks are ready when they’re between seven and 15 inches long.

The best time to harvest rhubarb is during May, June and early July. After this, it’s best to let the plant be so it can regrow and recharge to survive the winter. Cutting the flower stalk away before it blooms helps extend the harvesting season.

When you’re gathering your rhubarb, remove no more than two-thirds of the plant. Be sure there’s some left to grow back next year! Check out these common foods you could be storing all wrong.

Now that you know the correct way to harvest rhubarb, gather an armload, stash some in the freezer for later and then cook up your favorite comforting rhubarb recipe!

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Rhubarb, with its delicious edible leaf stalks loaded with a tangy yet sweet, crisp flavor, often serves as the perfect companion for strawberries or as the main ingredient in pies, jams and jellies. These tasty cool-weather veggies are great additions to any edible garden.

harvest rhubarb

Fresh rhubarb after the harvest. Photo credit: Sonja Dahlgren, gettyimages

Here are a few tips on how to harvest rhubarb:
• Plant new or established:Rhubarb, if newly planted, should not be harvested the first year, to help the plant establish itself. Wait a year or two before you begin to harvest.
• Check if it is “ripe”: The first step is to make sure the plant is ready to be harvested. This is relatively easy to do. The best time to harvest is from spring to early summer—usually April to June. Although they can be picked into early fall, you want to make sure that you stop collecting the yummy stalks well before the last frost, to help ensure that the plant makes it through winter. The best stalks to harvest should be at least 10 to 15 inches long. You can keep harvesting from your plant, roughly 8 to 10 weeks, for rhubarb established more than four years and 1 to 3 weeks for less. Make sure to leave some stalks—usually a third to near half of the plant—to help your rhubarb recover. This way you can have a bountiful yield from the same plant for many years to come!
• How to harvest: Gently grab near the base of the desired stalk and slowly pull and twist. It is as simple as that! Sometimes the stalk may be resistant to break away and you might need a pair of gardening shears to help coax the stalk away from the base. Make sure to cut the leaves off the stalks and discard them; they are poisonous and should never be consumed.

Once harvested, you can enjoy these scrumptious veggies by adding them to your favorite recipes!

Photo credit: Sonja Dahlgren, gettyimages
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Discover everything there is to know about edible gardening with the Horticulture Smart Gardening Guides: Guide to Growing Edibles.

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Make sure your vegetable garden is growing strong and healthy with the Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook.

Whether you are a beginner learning to grow edibles or an expert wanting to feed your family, How to Grow More Vegetables will help you grow strong veggies in high yields.

Can I pick rhubarb in August UK?

Can I harvest Rhubarb in August? There is an old wives tale that rhubarb should not be harvested in August due to a concentration of oxalic acid building up in the stems as well as the leaves as the season progresses. This is a myth.

Can you harvest rhubarb in early August?

The harvest season for rhubarb lasts until the end of June. Until then, pick as many stalks as you wish. After harvest, allow the plant to keep all of its leaves, to build its reserves of energy for the next year. A common myth is that the entire plant becomes toxic later in the summer.

Can rhubarb be harvested in late summer?

Harvesting rhubarb in summer should be a one time event, not a frequent practice. Continued harvest through the summer months weakens the rhubarb plants and reduces the yield and quality of next year's crop. In general, it's best to stop harvesting rhubarb in mid-June in Iowa.

When should you not pick rhubarb?

Although they can be picked into early fall, you want to make sure that you stop collecting the yummy stalks well before the last frost, to help ensure that the plant makes it through winter. The best stalks to harvest should be at least 10 to 15 inches long.