Gardeners most often arrive at for the deep cherry-red pieplant that is associated with this veggie , so you might be surprised to learn that there are many varieties of rhubarb .
The color of pieplant has little to do with its flavor , so you’re able to find speckled or pink varieties .
This twelvemonth , in your vegetable garden , test adding some unlike type of rhubarb . You might find a more productive one or a variety that is sweeter than the others .
have ’s take a look at some rhubarb varieties you might require to try .
The 14 Best Rhubarb Varieties To Plant This Season
Rhubarb is an excellent works for all gardener , new and experienced because it ’s a perennial plant life . That means rhubarb plant will come up year after year , giving you multiple harvests with minimal work for you .
The first matter you have to do is happen the rhubarb plant variety ( or varieties ) that you require to grow in your garden . All of these plants have slight differences that make them all interesting and unique .
1. Holstein Bloodred Red Rhubarb
If you do desire that classic blood-red rhubarb , then Holstein Bloodred offer up gardeners a smartly growing plant . It produces juicy , deep - red stalks . Holstein is a champion agriculturalist , and it can bring on 5 - 10 pounds of stalk from one single plant !
Each plant can reach four feet tall and five feet wide . As you could imagine , these are large plants that grow a lot of rhubarb . If you enjoy rhubarb plant and want to sell your overindulgence , this would be a great choice .
Holstein is an heirloom industrial plant , so it has been around for old age . It ’s know for being a prolific grower , and it produces well year after class consistently .
2. Chipman’s Canadian Red Rhubarb
This rhubarb variety create cherry - red stalks . The most substantial difference of opinion with Canadian Red Rhubarb is that the stalks run to have a sweeter , juicier smack , and less acrimony .
When it matures , this variety reaches heights of three to four foot and the same for the breadth .
If you populate in zones 3 - 8 , you could grow Canadian Red , but it does very well in Manitoba , Canada , or areas with a alike climate . That means this is a fantastic pick for northern gardener .
It needs to be planted outdoors in the fall , wintertime , or other springiness . Do so as soon as the background unthaws . Then , you’re able to expect a harvest home from April to June . It ’s best to hold off for at least one year to reap once you planed the poll .
3. Glaskins Perpetual
Glaskins Perpetual is a rhubarb mixed bag that take up in Brighton in the U.K. around 1920 . It produce long , bright red stems that have a strong flavor with slew of juice .
If you ’re looking for a late flavourer rhubarb variety , Glaskin ’s is one of the few that you’re able to pick . It work well for late - season harvesting because it has lower levels of oxalic acid .
Oxalic acid is what gives cutting rhubarb plant that sharp appreciation . When you cook rhubarb plant , it removes most of it .
Glaskin ’s grows well in zones 3 - 9 , but it does prefer sphere that have cooler summer . you’re able to by and large take a modest harvest the first twelvemonth , but be sure to leave most behind . The next year , you’re able to wait a much more abundant crop .
This cultivar only reaches two feet tall and wide at maximal maturity . Since it ’s smaller , you may originate this rhubarb in container .
4. Colorado Red
The one thing that makes rhubarb fend out in the garden is its colour . The redness draw people ’s optic , but most are n’t red deep down and outside .
Colorado Red Rhubarb , often called Hardy Tarty , has that lovely red-faced color throughout the intact stem .
These stalks are about the size of Apium graveolens dulce , and they exercise big for jellies and jams because of its colour .
If you juice a Colorado Red Rhubarb , it leaves behind a ruby liquid . you could make some telling jelly with this change !
audacious Tarty is a cultivar that tolerates warm temperatures , but it is listed for zone 3 - 8 . So , for southern and northern gardeners , this works well .
It produce two to three foot marvelous and wide at full maturity , and make indisputable you pick a cheery smirch to grow this one !
5. Cherry Red
Here is another ruddy rhubarb variety . Cherry Red Rhubarb grows tender , sweet-flavored stalks that are prospicient and thick .
Since it is one of the sweetest type , it ’s great for gardeners who are a bit nervous because they ’ve listen how caustic rhubarb plant can be .
Cherry Red grow well in USDA hardiness zone 2 - 8 , and it flourish in regions such as northern California .
It can accomplish heights of three foot tall and three feet wide , so it makes quite a statement in your garden .
This variety likes to grow in full Dominicus or fond shade for optimal increment . It can be harvest from April to June .
6. Victoria
Victoria , often called Large Victoria Rhubarb , is a unique mixture that bring about mid - size stalks that start as morose Bronx cheer red at the base of the plant .
Then , the stem gradually turn light-green as they get closer to the leaf at the top of the plant .
Victoria is one of the oldest rhubarb potpourri , dating back to around 1837 ! Ever since then , nurseryman have included in their garden layer .
One conflict to note about Victoria Rhubarb is that it ’s one of the late - maturing varieties .
The stalks tend to be ready between May and August , measuring 36 - 48 inches long . For best results , check that that you found this variety in full sun and prolific dirt .
7. MacDonald’s Canadian Red
Here is another red variety of rhubarb that you could freeze down , can , or broil with it . MacDonald ’s Red develop big straw , and they grow vigorously .
They ’re prize for being extremely productive and wilt immune , as well as resistance to ascendent rot .
The stalks are a shiny crimson colouring material , and the color do this cultivar splendid for pies and jams . Since the prow are sweet , you require less scratch to make desserts .
ensure to plant this cultivar in productive , well - draining , loamy soils . you may expect to be able to reap between April and June .
8. Crimson Red
For those survive in the Pacific Northwest , Crimson Red is an excellent choice because it loves damp , cool temperatures .
It produces promising red stalks that deal the soused weather condition in Oregon and Washington . You ’ll love the perfumed - tart flavor of these stem .
If you do n’t live in the Pacific Northwest , this variety does well in USDA zone 3 - 8 , and it boom in the sunshine just as much as it does in cloudy , showery weather .
implant the nude root balls throughout the declivity or two to four workweek before the last winter icing escort .
It claim one year before you could harvest from Crimson Red , and when it matures , you could expect it to reach height of three to four tall and three feet wide . Then , harvest the stalk from April to June .
9. Riverside Giant
If you want to try a green rhubarb , then Riverside Giant might be a great choice ! This is a cold-blooded - intrepid variety that bring about long , thick green stalks .
It can hold up temperatures as low as -40 ℉ , so it can be fearless up to 2b if you rise it in a cold-blooded frame . Riverside arise from geographical zone 2 - 7 .
One of the singular features of Riverside Giant is that it grows taller and broader than other varieties . It can get through as marvelous as five feet and as wide as four feet .
The downside is that it ’s also one of the wearisome growing pieplant cultivars , and you have to wait around three years before your first harvest .
10. Prince Albert
Image seed : chrisbowers.co.uk
Prince Albert is an heirloom rhubarb variety that has been around for hundred of long time . It bring about stalks that are reddish - green that call on to a rose - pink color when fake .
Gardeners love this cultivar as a jam or Proto-Indo European filling . The stalks are declamatory and juicier than other kind , with a portmanteau word of thorniness and sweetness .
you could grow Prince Albert Rhubarb in zones 3 - 8 , and it will be ready to reap in other April to late May . These plants attain three to four feet tall and wide when spring up in the right circumstance .
11. German Wine
Are you looking for a pieplant potpourri that will affect those who visit your garden ?
If so , German Wine is the one you necessitate . It has a unique appearance with dark-green stems and pink speckles . It ’s also believed to be one of the sweetened rhubarb plant life on the market .
German Wine Rhubarb is a hybrid variety that is outstanding for make wine , as you might have guess from the name .
Those who have made wine from this plant claim that it tastes like a rosaceous wine . away from wine , this mixed bag is one of the sweetest one , so you may make a sauce with it for your Methedrine emollient or other desserts .
This cultivar is smaller than other industrial plant , only pass to feet high and two to three feet all-inclusive at full maturity . Due to its little sizing , it does well in container or smaller garden beds .
Plant a solution ball or treetop sectionalization in the natural spring , and you may have a crop that first year !
12. Timperley Early
nurseryman love Timperley Early because it ’s an all - around assortment that is know for other suppuration .
These plants can be ready as early as March , depending on the temperatures and where you live . Once install , Timperley baulk most disease and produces stalks that are over 24 inches marvellous .
Another thing to enjoy about Timperley Early is that you may harvest a humble amount in your first year .
Not all type of rhubarb should be harvested the first year , but Timperley is an exclusion . Then , in the 2nd year , you may carry a vigorous harvesting , as well as the following ten years .
13. Sunrise
Image Source : frenchharvest.com.au
Sunrise Rhubarb suffer out because it has beautiful pinkish stalks that are blockheaded than the average rhubarb angry walk .
It work well for pie , jellies , canning , and freezing , so it ’s a grand all - around choice for gardener .
One of the reasons it freezes so well is that it maturate sturdy , extra - thick still hunt . They do n’t turn mushy or perfect like other rhubarb plants .
That way , you’re able to have refreshing stalks of rhubarb in the middle of the wintertime .
Sunrise Rhubarb reaches three feet tall and full when it reach full maturity . It works well in zone 3 - 8 , and you may plan to glean from April to June .
14. Kangarhu
You have to appreciate the adorable name for this cultivar . Kangarhu produces shining crimson stalks in its signature red color , and the fore keep their color once they ’re cooked .
This variety grows well in zones 4 - 8 , an excellent option for midwest or southerly gardener .
These stalks are red and lady of pleasure , a tangy treat . The plant contact three feet marvellous and all-inclusive at matureness . It produce well in part shade or full sun , and you’re able to reap from Kangarhu from later spring into the early fall .
How To Take Care Of Rhubarb Plants
Rhubarb can grow almost anywhere in the United States ; it ’s a cold - stout industrial plant that thrives in USDA hardiness zones 3 - 8 . You mature it to eat the stalking , but you should know that the leaves are NOT edible .
If you want to try on turn pieplant in your garden , here are some quick fact to get you started .
1: Soil Needed
flora rhubarb in well - draining , prolific grime that contains plenty of organic matter . It ’s recommended that you add a heavy dose of compost to the region that you found it , then side dress it each twelvemonth for extra food .
2: Sunlight Required
Each kind has dissimilar sunlight requirements . Some types can grow well in partial refinement , but all of them grow well in full sun . Make indisputable you bump a placement with the proper sunshine requirements .
3: Water Needed
Rhubarb prefer moist soil , but it does n’t want to be in boggy priming . Plan to water once and twice a week , watering each clip deeply . If the weather is in the main dry or raging , be trusted to irrigate a third time .
Final Thoughts
pick the proper diversity of rhubarb for your garden depends on what you plan to do with the rhubarb . Are you going to deal it ? Do you like to bake with rhubarb , or do you want to freeze it to utilize it later ?
These are the questions you need to ask to make the good choice . Thankfully , all of these varieties are awful and taste delicious in their unique way . Try a few in your garden .
compose By
Bethany is a suburban homesteader , growing over half of the vegetables , fruit , and herbs that her home of six needs each year . She advance poulet and homeschools her children . When she is n’t spending time tending to her garden , you could find her reading , crocheting , and displace .
