Okay, so everyone tells me we cannot grow rhubarb here in GA. that means I absolutely will try. I love rhubarb!

So I get some roots from my mother last fall. We built a raised bed near the woods so hopefully will get some summer shade and hubby will set up a watering schedule. All's good, some are starting to peek out! Yay!

Well, I had found a couple of clumps I couldn't fit in the raised bed so I took them to the garden (farm) at my son's and just put them in one of my flower rows cause I really don't have any shade there anyway. I figure I'll shade with a trellis or something.

Today I see leaves on one and the other one just sitting there, looking dead. Big one. I figured it was just too old. But being me, I had to scratch around to see if I could see any growth. Nope. but I found a tiny clump that was sprouting, only it was upside down. Hmmm...so I gently lift the big old clump and sure enough! Lots of growth trying to come to the surface! I HAD PLANTED IT UPSIDE DOWN!

A few years ago when we tried to start a community garden we laughed when one of the fellow gardners planted all her asparagus crowns upside down. A newbie. Just goes to show you, no matter how long we've been gardening, we still make mistakes!

Too funny, I think that as long as it gets a good chill during the winter, it should grow. They like lots of manure, and once it gets too hot it starts to fade for the year. Mine didn't do too well last year with that really hot summer we had.

I'm hoping! I planted one previously but I think I planted in late spring and it didn't have a chance to settle in before it got too hot. So maybe this will do better. I did lots of manure and will keep it watered and some shade in the hottest part of summer.

That could be a very HOT ITEM at farmer's market! One guy told me if I can get it to grow, he would buy all of it!

A friend here grew his in the ground but put a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out over the plants. The rhubarb would reach for the sun and have longer stalks when harvested. I like it but a couple batches a year is enough. Had a rhubarb cobbler last year that was tasty.......

What a great idea! You could submit that one here! I think I'm going to try that. Sort of like the stalks trying to reach up from UNDER my clump! Only straighter!

My rhubarb is planted on a slightly west facing slope in full sun. My climate has very few cloudy days during the growing season. It's been growing there for at least 15 years without a problem of any kind. I put a few shovelfulls of manure on it in the fall, then after it starts growing up through that in the spring, I give it a good soaking about every 2 weeks and ignore it the rest of the time. My plants roots would now easily fill a washtub, and the spread of each plant is about 5 feet. I measured when I planted them 4 ft apart and can barely walk between the plants. The variety is unknown, it was a pass along plant from a friend. The stalks are fat, red more than green, and often reach 2 ft in length. I dug up a few starts last fall to start another row. Some years I lay some straw over the plants in the fall after putting on the manure, and some years I don't. It doesn't seem to make any difference.

Such good news! I did put manure on it in the fall, but I thought I would have to shade it down here.

Arlene, how is your rhubarb doing? Mine is huge. All of my little transplanted root pieces are growing.

Mine too! Thin stalks but we won't harvest any until next year.

They look like happy plants.

I started with three plants taken from starts from my Mom. They really thrive in my mild/wet region and I have now cut back to a single plant which is more then enough for my husband and I. I also allow it to flower which somewhat compromises the harvest but I like the look - this was a few years ago when I still had two plants:

The flowers are very cool,sort of like a GIANT Coral Bells or Astillbe.

Much demand here for rhubarb cause they say you can't grow it. Anyone from north wants it! One vendor, a baker, wants all I can grow but I will feel out the market first and then work with him. Guess I could barter, then I wouldn't have to bake for a long time.