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I've got a big, lovely rhubarb plant in my yard which I'd hoped to be able to harvest a few different times over the course of a summer. How should I harvest my rhubarb to encourage it to regrow quickly? Should I cut it off near the base, pull it up from the root, or something else? Should I harvest it all at once, or should I leave some of the stalks in place?

Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
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JSBձոգչ
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    While not part of the answer, I always like to add this fact to Rhubarb conversations for people who may not know: The leaves are very poisonous. Please do not use them. – Emrikol Jun 08 '11 at 18:43
  • Also don't pull the stalks if there has been a frost the night before - there may be more oxalic acid in those stalks. – flowerbug Apr 27 '20 at 02:47

3 Answers3

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I usually just "snap" off the stalks - a sharp yank on a shaft straight down is usually enough to free it.

I typically only harvest the stalks that are above a certain size. Though some folks just take all at once. Rhubarb is pretty hardy - it will likely suffer through much punishment.

Tim
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    *Very* hardy: I planted a crown last year that I thought died during a long dry spell. Come to find out this spring that it's very much still alive and sending up shoots! – bstpierre Jun 08 '11 at 18:55
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    Hardy for the right climate - indestructible in my native Yorkshire (where they are a commercial crop) but I've had no success in North Texas. Cut the stalks when they are young for crisp rhubarb. It becomes stringy if you wait too long. – winwaed Jun 08 '11 at 19:24
  • +1, I harvest all of mine until you can't tell if there is a plant there anymore. Any every year it comes back and encroaches a little farther into my strawberry bed. – Randy Jun 09 '11 at 03:33
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    You can make rhubarb wine with stalks that have gone too stringy: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/may/25/how-to-make-rhubarb-wine?INTCMP=SRCH Haven't actually tried it, but it sounds like a tasty idea! – Shanna Jun 10 '11 at 09:30
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I watched a video on this precise question because my neighbour invited me to take rhubarb from her plant, and I wanted to make sure I did it in a way that wouldn't affect her plant.

The video was made by Tom Cole at Capel Manor College in London. It has been deleted, but these are the points I took from it:

  1. Don't cut the stalk with a knife. Pull it right out with a sharp tug. This apparently promotes new growth and "invigorates the roots" so it helps the plant. (Also the bit right at the bottom is the most delicious part to eat!)

  2. Don't take more than 3 or 4 stems per season per plant. I actually took up to 5, because there were so many, but I think the idea is to make sure to leave the plant with at least 3-4 stalks leftover for the new season.

Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
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Lisa
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The new growth is often sweeter, with the older larger stems being tougher, less flavour and more fibrous. The root is very deep. It's recommended that it's dug up every couple of years and moved. I've not moved mine for 10yrs and it was already ancient when I moved in.