As Spring Gets Going, Rhubarb Pushes up Its Crinkled Red Shoots, Promising the First Proper Puddings of the Year.

Early, Reliable Crops When Little Else Is Ready

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is one of the very first “proper” crops of the year, often ready to pick in spring while most of the garden is still rubbing its eyes. Fat pink, red or green stems push up from the crown just as you’re starting to crave something fresh and home‑grown. You can take a few stems for crumbles and compotes as soon as they’re thick enough to use, and carry on harvesting lightly into early summer. In a typical Cambridgeshire garden, a well‑established rhubarb clump can give bowl after bowl of stems at a time when fruit bushes and apples are only just thinking about it.

  • Early, Reliable Crops When Little Else Is Ready
  • Big, Bold Foliage That Earns Its Keep
  • Tough, Long‑Lived And Surprisingly Easy To Grow

Rhubarb at a Glance:

Common name: Rhubarb

Latin name: Rheum rhabarbarum

Size in UK gardens: Typically around 60–90cm tall in leaf, with a spread of 90cm–1.2m once mature, depending on variety and soil.

Best position: A sunny or lightly shaded, reasonably open spot, with space for the clump to expand without crowding paths or smaller plants.

Soil: Deep, fertile, moisture‑retentive but well‑drained soil with plenty of organic matter; dislikes very shallow, dry or waterlogged ground.

Flowering time: Main interest is in the edible leaf‑stalks from early spring to early summer; tall flower spikes sometimes appear in late spring but are usually removed.

Fragrance: Usually not noticeably scented; the cut stems have a fresh, sharp “rhubarb” aroma.

Hardiness: Fully hardy across the UK once established, dying back in winter and re‑sprouting in spring.

Care level: Easy to moderate – straightforward if you prepare the soil well, water in dry spells and harvest thoughtfully.
Some of our team!

Home-grown, backed by local specialists.

The Simpson’s team raises the majority of our trees here at the nursery. For varieties outside our own production, we work with independent local growers we trust - all chosen for UK climate suitability.

Rhubarb Care at a Glance:

Planting time: As container‑grown plants, rhubarb crowns can be planted in most months when the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged; late autumn and early spring are usually easiest, giving roots time to settle before summer heat or winter cold.

Watering: Water regularly in the first couple of years, and during dry spells thereafter, especially on lighter soils and in the drier East Anglian climate. Soil should stay evenly moist through spring and early summer while stems are developing.

Feeding: Each spring, mulch generously around the clump with compost or well‑rotted manure to feed the plant and improve soil structure. On very poor soils, a balanced granular fertiliser can be added in early spring before growth really gets going.

Pruning: There’s no true pruning, but you should pull (not cut) stems for harvest, remove any flowering spikes as they appear on younger plants, and clear away old, collapsing leaves in autumn to keep the crown clean and discourage pests and disease.

Winter: In winter, rhubarb dies back completely above ground. Leave the crowns in place, top up the mulch, and let cold weather do its work; there is no need to lift or cover established plants in normal UK conditions.

Varieties We Usually Stock

Availability is always changing, so please check with us if you have a particular variety in mind.

Rheum ‘Timperley Early’

A superb early rhubarb that gets the season going quickly, producing tender, pink-flushed stems when you’re itching for the first crumbles of the year. It’s ideal for the kitchen garden, giving generous harvests with that lovely balance of sharpness and sweetness once cooked. A real spring favourite, and wonderfully reliable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Botanically speaking, rhubarb is a vegetable – you’re eating the leaf‑stalks rather than a true fruit – but in the kitchen it’s usually treated as a fruit in crumbles, pies and jams. From the gardener’s point of view, the label doesn’t matter terribly; what matters is that it’s a hardy perennial that likes a reasonably deep, fertile soil and a sunny or lightly shaded spot. You plant it once, look after the crown, and then pick the stems each year. In a Cambridgeshire garden, it sits quite happily alongside both vegetables and soft fruits, earning its keep as a reliable early harvest.

Rhubarb leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid and other compounds and are considered poisonous if eaten in quantity. The thick stalks, however, are perfectly safe once the leaf blades are cut off and discarded. In most family gardens, the risk is managed by simple common sense: teach children not to eat leaves, always remove and compost the foliage before bringing stems indoors, and don’t feed raw leaves to pets or livestock. There’s no harm in touching or handling the leaves, and rhubarb is widely grown in gardens and allotments without incident, provided it’s used in the traditional way.

With a newly planted crown, it’s best to be patient. In the first year, avoid harvesting altogether, or take just one or two stems at most, so the plant can put its energy into root growth. In the second year, you can pick lightly – perhaps a few stems from each plant – and from the third year onwards you can harvest more freely. Always pull stems cleanly from the crown rather than cutting, and stop taking stalks by midsummer so the plant has time to recover and build reserves for next season. A good rule of thumb is to leave at least a third of the foliage in place at any one time.

Yes, rhubarb can work very well in small gardens and even in containers, provided you choose a generous pot and a good spot. In the ground, it doesn’t need a huge area – a square metre or so per crown is usually enough – and it can sit at the back of a border or veg bed without demanding prime central space. In pots, use a large, deep container with a loam‑based compost, stand it in a sunny, sheltered place and water and feed regularly. Yields from containers are often a little lower than from plants in open soil, but still easily enough to give you several satisfying pickings each spring.