If you want to harvest rhubarb carefully, it is better not to cut off the stalks with scissors. The most important tips for amateur gardeners.
As a compote, jam or cake topping - rhubarb with its sour and fresh taste is suitable for numerous delicacies. So it's all the nicer when you can harvest the seasonal vegetables fresh from your own garden.
Harvesting rhubarb in the garden – unscrew the stalks
There are a few little things to keep in mind when harvesting the rhubarb stalks: The medium-thick and thicker stems are harvested, but they should not be cut off with secateurs or a knife. Otherwise, pathogens could infect the plant via an interface, or the remaining piece could rot.
Rather, you should unscrew the rods. "For harvesting, the petioles are separated from the perennial abruptly with a slight twisting movement and the leaf areas are removed immediately," recommends the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture. Before further processing, you should peel the stems all around - and simply "peel off the skin strip by strip", according to the tip on their website. "Only the fleshy stems that should not be eaten raw" are used, it continues. They are processed into compote and jam, but are also popular as cake and pie toppings.
It's nice to be able to harvest rhubarb fresh from your own garden. (Symbolic image) © Christian Ditsch/Imago
When is rhubarb ripe for harvest?
The fact that the rhubarb stalk is ready for harvest can be recognized by the fact that the leaves are no longer wavy, but already spread out quite smoothly. According to the German Press Agency (dpa), this is referred to by the Bavarian Garden Academy. According to the experts, it is best to remove the large leaves from the stem immediately after harvesting. Because it keeps the stems crisp and fresh for longer. By the way, you don't have to dispose of rhubarb leaves in the compost, they are a natural fertilizer as manure or extract.
Gardening experts advise: harvest only a third of the plant
In addition, no more than a third of the plant should be harvested at once, according to the dpa report. In this way, the plant still has enough leaf mass to produce sufficient energy and recover. The rhubarb can then form new stalks for harvesting. However, the flowers should be removed during the harvest season, advises the Bavarian Garden Academy. They rob the plants of strength.
Which rhubarb varieties are suitable?
Today, the "red-stemmed and red-fleshed varieties" are preferred, writes the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture, "as they have a milder taste and a lower content of fruit and oxalic acid". The best known is the "Holsteiner Blut" variety. "There are, for example, 'Frambozen Rood', 'The Sutton', 'Vierländer Blut'." Green-stemmed varieties produce a high yield, form many inflorescences and are much more acidic in taste.
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The harvest season for rhubarb traditionally lasts until the end of June
From the end of June, the rhubarb stalks should no longer be harvested. St. John's Day is traditionally the end of the harvest – so that the plant can begin to store reserve substances for the coming year, as the experts emphasize.
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