Rhubarb

[TheLorax]

I purchased two rhubarb plants. Impulse buy.

I have two 10-12 gallon concrete planters. Any reason why I couldn't grow rhubarb in a concrete planter? I won't have a vegetable garden until next year and although I realize ornamentals would probably look best in the urns, I think rhubarb is colorful and ornamental enough. Mine both have the nice red stalks.

One thought would be if rhubarb could handle freezing solid over winter in an above ground planter. Don't think so. I suppose I'd have to bareroot them for the winter and replant them again next year.

Anyone growing rhubarb in a planter?

[Jess]

I don't grow it in a container so can't help you there but I don't grow mine in a vege patch either. I just have it in amongst the flowers. Does just fine and looks very ornamental. It does take up quite a large space. If that would be an issue in your vege plot (did you say how big that would be in your other post? cannot remember.) might be worth planting somewhere else anyway.

[TheLorax]

I've grown rhubarb before at my old house. It was great in pies. I forgot to dig up and take a chunk of my plant with me when we moved. Mine was around 3' tall and had a spread of about the same. I'd been growing it for around 3 years. I'd call that a happy plant so I know what you mean about it taking up a lot of space. I've seen massive rhubarb plants before. They seem to take over if they like where they are planted. My thoughts were to use the planters so I wouldn't be taking up space in the new raised bed vegetable garden as rhubarb can get massive and I strongly suspect it isn't exactly a nice companion plant. I don't see rhubarb playing nice with any other plants because it's too vigorous.

I have no idea what size raised beds I will end up with. The more I poke around, the more my mind changes as to what it is exactly that I want. One thing is for sure, I don't want rhubarb in the raised beds with other plants. When I found that first design with a central planting area, I had planned on putting rhubarb there. I've abandoned that design though.

I found one reference on the web that stated they could be grown in pot larger than 12"-
https://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/fruitveg/rhubarb.htm

Q: Some years ago, we lived in a cottage that had a large rhubarb patch. We happily harvested rhubarb for many years. We now live in town, but I would dearly love to grow rhubarb again. The problem is space restriction and cats. Is it possible to grow rhubarb in a container? (e-mail reference)

A: Rhubarb easily should grow in a container. The container needs to be big enough to accommodate plant expansion. I wouldn’t put it in anything smaller than a 12-inch diameter pot, if possible. In this case, the larger the better. Be sure to put the container in a full-sun area. The more sun, the better. Use sterilized or pasteurized potting soil.

Same person indicates it's ok if they freeze solid over winter-

Q: We have sold our house in central Minnesota and will be moving around December 1. Can I dig up our rhubarb, store it for the winter and then transplant it in the spring at our new house? If so, what is the best way to do this? (e-mail reference)

A: Yes, you can. Dig up the rhubarb before the soil freezes in your area. Immediately wrap the roots/crown in damp, unmilled sphagnum peat moss. Temporarily set the crown in the soil at the new home and moisten. It is OK if the planting mass freezes. Replant in its permanent location as soon as possible next spring. Make sure the area gets full sun and has well-drained soil.

Did find another reference that indicates rhubarb can be grown in containers-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

Rhubarb can successfully be planted in containers, so long as the container is large enough to accommodate a season's growth.

My planters are generously proportioned so I'm thinking this is a go. Looks as if they should be able to freeze solid so I won't have to move the planters in over the winter either. I guess we'll find out if they live or not by next spring because I'm going to leave mine out.

Something I did run into while looking for information was that rhubarb leaves can supposedly be used to make an organic insecticide-
https://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-uses.html
Couple insecticide recipes at the above link. I'd be curious to know if anyone has used rhubarb as an insecticide and if it worked? The above site also had some nice recipes for pies.

[newsunrise]

don't know if this info is of any use but I was watching a gardening show last year and they were talking about having plants in planters over winter. The guy suggested that you put the plant in a container the same size as your planter and set it inside the planter... leave it for the summer and in late fall, before the ground freezes to hard, dig a hole and drop the plant and container in it for winter. when spring arrives just pull up container and plant and repeat if it worked for you......just a thought!

[TheLorax]

Actually, you came up with a great idea. I read your reply earlier today and gathered up all of the pots that plants came in and started testing to see if I had anything that would fit. Nope, zip nadda nothing. Out of all these pots I hang onto over the years... just in case I might need an oddball size... I could not find one that was the right size let alone two. Your idea would have probably been really good because I could have just pulled out the inserts and transferred them to my garage but I must have gotten my hands on an oddball size of planter. Figures.

I have done similar with potted plants that aren't zone hardy to 5. I've got a few zone 7 and 8 plants that are purely for decoration. I kept them in the pots they came in and dug a hole exactly the size of the pot to be able to lower them into the holes. Come fall, I pull them out of the ground and move them to the greenhouse. Come spring, I sink them back in the ground again. And I do this for some native shrub and tree saplings only those I don't take in for the winter. All of my seedlings are in uniform containers which makes it easy to re-use holes year to year. Sometimes I start my seed and have leftovers come fall so I insert them in the ground to overwinter. The following spring, I pull them out and plant them or give them away. These are species that are indigenous to this area though so they are fine being left outside year round.

Wonderful idea and I wouldn't have thought of doing this for vegetables unless you had mentioned it. Too bad I don't have any pots that could slip into the planters.

[newsunrise]

cool glad I could help!