Overview

Embark on a rewarding gardening journey with our victoria rhubarb bare root pack. This offering includes 10 robust bare roots of the highly sought-after ‘Victoria’ variety, ready to be planted in your garden. Rhubarb, scientifically known as Rheum rhabarbarum, is a beloved perennial vegetable renowned for its tart, edible stalks. The ‘Victoria’ cultivar is particularly famous for its vigorous growth and tender, reddish-green stalks, making it a favorite for culinary uses. Planting bare roots is an economical and effective way to establish a strong, healthy rhubarb patch that will produce bountiful harvests for many years to come. These 3 to 5 inch tall roots are dormant and prepared for immediate planting, ensuring a successful start to your rhubarb growing adventure.

While often treated as a fruit in cooking, rhubarb is botanically a vegetable, belonging to the buckwheat family. Its distinctive flavor profile makes it a versatile ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes. Growing your own perennial red rhubarb from bare roots allows you to enjoy the freshest possible produce, free from pesticides and grown with your own care. This pack provides a substantial start to a productive rhubarb bed, ensuring you’ll have plenty to share with family and friends or to preserve for off-season enjoyment. Get ready to cultivate a classic garden staple with ease and confidence.

Key Benefits

Adding victoria rhubarb bare root plants to your garden comes with a host of advantages. These benefits make it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners:

• Reliable Perennial Harvest: Once established, rhubarb plants return year after year, providing a consistent supply of delicious stalks without the need for annual replanting. This makes it a low-maintenance and highly rewarding crop for any garden.
• Culinary Versatility: The ‘Victoria’ variety is perfect for a wide range of recipes, from classic rhubarb pies and crumbles to jams, sauces, and even savory dishes. Its tart flavor adds a unique zest to many culinary creations.
• Vigorous Growth: Known for its robust nature, perennial red rhubarb grows quickly in optimal conditions, producing abundant, tender stalks. This ensures a generous harvest that can be enjoyed throughout the growing season.
• Easy to Grow from Bare Root: Planting bare roots is a straightforward process that allows for quick establishment. With proper initial care, these roots will rapidly develop into mature, productive plants.
• Attractive Garden Addition: Beyond its edible qualities, the large, lush leaves and sturdy stalks of rhubarb add an attractive, architectural element to your garden landscape, providing visual interest.
• Long-Term Investment: A well-maintained rhubarb patch can remain productive for 10-20 years or even longer, offering a fantastic long-term return on your initial planting effort.
• Health Benefits: Rhubarb is a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin K, and antioxidants, contributing to a healthy diet.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of your victoria rhubarb bare root plants begins with proper site selection and planting. Rhubarb thrives in full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. While it can tolerate partial shade, full sun promotes stronger growth and more abundant harvests. The soil should be fertile, deep, and well-draining. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder, so amend your soil generously with compost or well-rotted manure before planting to provide a rich, organic environment. Ideal soil pH for rhubarb is between 6.0 and 6.8.

When planting your bare roots, dig a hole large enough to accommodate the root system without bending. Place the root so that the crown (the point where the stalks emerge) is about 1-2 inches below the soil surface. Space plants about 3 feet apart to allow for mature growth. Water thoroughly after planting. During the first season, it’s crucial to water frequently, especially during dry spells, to keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy. Established plants are more drought-tolerant but will benefit from regular watering during dry periods. To ensure vigorous growth and a healthy harvest of perennial red rhubarb, apply a balanced fertilizer or a fresh layer of compost around the base of the plants in early spring each year. Avoid harvesting any stalks in the first year to allow the plant to establish a strong root system. From the second year onwards, harvest stalks by pulling, not cutting, when they are 12-18 inches long. Discard the leaves, as they contain oxalic acid and are toxic.

Maintenance is key for a long-lived rhubarb patch. Remove any flowering stems (seed stalks) as soon as they appear, as flowering diverts energy from stalk production. Mulching around the plants with straw, wood chips, or compost helps retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. In colder climates, a thick layer of mulch in late fall can provide winter protection. Dividing mature clumps every 5-10 years can rejuvenate the plants and prevent overcrowding. Watch out for pests like rhubarb curculio and diseases such as crown rot, addressing issues promptly to maintain plant health. Following these guidelines will help you successfully grow rhubarb from root and enjoy delicious harvests for years.

Size & Details

This product includes a pack of 10 individual victoria rhubarb bare root plants. Each bare root measures approximately 3 to 5 inches tall, representing a dormant, ready-to-plant stage for optimal establishment. These bare roots are shipped without a pot or soil, ensuring they are lightweight and easy to handle for planting upon arrival. The ‘Victoria’ variety is known for its robust growth, with mature plants typically reaching a spread of 2-3 feet and a height of 2-4 feet. When planted correctly, these roots quickly develop into large, productive rhubarb plants.

Rhubarb is a long-lived perennial, meaning it will return year after year, providing harvests for well over a decade if properly cared for. Stalks are typically ready for harvest from the second year onwards, usually from late spring through early summer, depending on your climate. The plants will eventually go dormant in the fall after a frost, ready to re-emerge in spring. This pack provides a substantial foundation for creating a thriving rhubarb patch, ensuring you have plenty of stalks for all your culinary needs. The rheum rhabarbarum ‘Victoria’ is a reliable choice for consistent yields.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does a ‘Victoria’ rhubarb plant get? A: A mature ‘Victoria’ rhubarb plant typically grows to be about 2-4 feet tall and spreads 2-3 feet wide. It’s important to give them enough space to reach their full potential for optimal yield.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Rhubarb is an outdoor plant, specifically a garden perennial. It requires a period of cold dormancy to produce well, making it unsuitable for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does victoria rhubarb bare root need? A: Rhubarb prefers full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. While it can tolerate some partial shade, more sun generally leads to better stalk production and healthier plants.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, rhubarb is considered relatively easy to care for once established. The main requirements are fertile, well-draining soil, consistent watering, and annual fertilization. Avoiding harvest in the first year helps ensure a strong start.
• Q: What condition will the bare roots arrive in? A: Your victoria rhubarb bare root plants will arrive dormant and without soil or a pot. They are carefully packaged to maintain their viability during shipping and should be planted as soon as possible after arrival.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these bare roots? A: The best time to plant rhubarb bare roots is in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. This allows the plants to establish their root systems before the heat of summer.
• Q: What is the recommended USDA hardiness zone for ‘Victoria’ rhubarb? A: ‘Victoria’ rhubarb is typically hardy in USDA Zones 3-8. It requires a cold winter dormancy period to produce well, so it may struggle in very warm climates.
• Q: Can I harvest rhubarb in the first year? A: It is strongly recommended to avoid harvesting any stalks in the first year. This allows the plant to put all its energy into developing a strong, healthy root system, which will lead to much more vigorous production in subsequent years.
• Q: How do I know when the stalks are ready to harvest? A: Rhubarb stalks are typically ready for harvest when they are 12-18 inches long and firm. Harvest by gently pulling and twisting the stalk from the base of the plant, rather than cutting, to avoid damaging the crown.
• Q: What is the difference between ‘Victoria’ rhubarb and other varieties? A: Victoria rhubarb is a popular heirloom variety known for its vigorous growth, large yields, and tender, reddish-green stalks. It’s a reliable choice for home gardeners seeking a classic rhubarb flavor and texture.