No space, Rhubarb in wine planter okay?

[Calendula]

Hi,
This is my first post.
Just bought a rhubarb crown today and realized I have no space in my garden for it. Wondering if planting rhubarb in a half wine barrel would be enough space for it to grow healthy. Also, does it like full sun or partial sun. I love rhubarb and was searching online but couldn't find this out. If someone could help me out I'd appreciate it. Much love

[cynthia_h]

You and I will find out at the same time about rhubarb in a half-wine barrel...

I misread something in John Jeavons' How to Grow More Vegetables last year, and planted four (yes, FOUR!) rhubarb plants in one square foot of my Square Foot Garden. (I use a combination of Jeavons' and Bartholomew's methods.)

Well, of course the rhubarb plants didn't have enough room to keep a bird alive, but they definitely thrived, at the expense of almost everything else in their half of the SFG.

A couple of weeks ago, we moved the rhubarbs into their own containers. The three smaller plants went into one-gallon pots, just as a temporary measure, and the largest of the four went into a half-wine barrel-sized container. It's doing quite well and has begun to put out new leaves, so it seems to be very happy!

I planted it in a combination of 50% bought organic potting soil (left over from last year) and 50% my own compost, so there was plenty of air and plenty of water retention in the container.

Go ahead and try it!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Calendula]

Thanks for the support

[applestar]

So what variety rhubarb? I want to grow some since it's recommended in so many gardening disciplines I'm interested in -- Permaculture, Edible Landscaping, etc. but I can't decide what kind. It's a pretty solid fixture in the garden so I want to choose carefully. The quality I'm looking for are TASTY and disease resistant.

Last Saturday, I was thinking of driving 45 min to an arboritum plant sale just because they had Canada Red rhubarb on their list...

[cynthia_h]

Mine is Victoria. I would love to have grown Cherry rhubarb, but the starts aren't sold around here. *sigh*

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[jal_ut]

I would give it a try. Rhubarb does get quite large and the roots are awesome, but if you are out of room the barrel is a good option. Rhubarb thrives in full sun.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Have seen it done most sucessfully. Go for it...

HG