Growing Rhubarb

Steer clear of the leaves and head straight to the stalks of this beautiful plant, a vegetable often enjoyed as a dessert or even in a sweet cocktail.

- Samantha Allemann

While rhubarb can be considered an acquired taste, it certainly has its fans. From rhubarb baked with custard, encased within a buttery pie crust, spooned over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or simply stewed with sugar, this sweet yet sour vegetable brings a zest to every dish it is added to.

And you read correctly — rhubarb is actually a vegetable, not a fruit. The veggie family can claim this herbaceous plant, except for the US, which had a court ruling in New York in 1947 to make it officially deemed a fruit in that country. There’s a fact to file away for trivia night!

How to grow it

At Tahbilk Estate in Nagambie, northern Victoria, Di McDonald has been growing rhubarb for more than 25 years in her four-acre plot. “It needs nice rich soil with plenty of nitrogen and a little bit of clay,” explains McDonald. “Rhubarb is like us — it needs plenty to drink, plenty to eat and to have a comfortable bed.”

Regular watering is crucial for its stem formation, however growers need to be careful not to overwater around the crown. “That will cause mould, which is why a lot of people lose their rhubarb — it just rots,” says McDonald. The soil should be rich and well drained to be able to soak up the nutrients for the plant.

As rhubarb is often passed from one farm to another, a garden to a garden, a friend to a friend, it can be hard to know exactly which variety you have. McDonald has coined hers “Di’s Rhubarb” but it is technically Russell Lee Red. On the other side of Victoria, over at Bridge Farm Organics, Jo Courtney cannot recall the name of the variety she grows, which was originally bought from The Diggers Club.