RHUBARB VICTORIA AB
Rheum rhabarbarum
Giant Race Victoria rhubarb has a pleasant tangy flavor.
The cooked petioles are used in jam, marmalade, or as a pie filling.
Be careful not to eat rhubarb leaves, as they are toxic. They are used to treat fruit gum by scraping the affected area and rubbing it with the leaves.
How to successfully sow rhubarb
Sowing: in pots in April, May, or in August-September.
Transplant in nurseries, in rows spaced 30 cm apart.
Planting rhubarb in the vegetable garden
You can plant rhubarb from March to mid-October in rich, deep, fresh soil, in sunny or even partial shade during the summer.
Keep 1 meter in all directions to allow it to fully flourish, because it can reach up to 1.5 m in height.
Water when planting.
Rhubarb cultivation
You can add some compost to it in the spring.
Rhubarb disappears during the winter, but its root system remains strong. It will reappear the following spring and remain in the vegetable garden for several years.
Cut flowers as soon as they appear to encourage growth.
Beware of slugs and snails which will love its foliage when it is still young.
Rhubarb does not require much water; water it in case of drought.
Rhubarb harvest
You can cut the ribs as needed.
Do not consume the leaves which are poisonous.
To accompany your savory dishes, you can blanch it in spring under a bell jar or an opaque pot, like chicory.
