Can I sow rhubarb now?
Not from seed now. A sowing started today is unlikely to beat the autumn cold; use this page if you are already growing rhubarb, or choose something still in season.
- Best next action
- Choose another crop to sow now
When to plant
rhubarb in the UK
Plant a crown in winter, do not harvest the first year, and it will reward you with decades of stalks. Pull (do not cut) stalks from April to June, then leave it alone to build strength for next year. Force a clump in January for the most tender, pink stems.
Can I sow rhubarb now?
Not from seed now. This is outside the usual UK sowing window for rhubarb.
- Status
- Too late from seed
- Best next step
- Wait
- Usual window
- Outside the usual UK sowing window
What I'd do now: This is not a good sowing moment on the UK average; use the calendar to choose a crop with an open window.
For the broader month view, see what to sow in July, or use the UK sowing calendar. For more detail, read the fruit growing guide.
When will your rhubarb be ready to eat?
Put in the day you actually sowed — the harvest date moves with it. Tuned to your saved location where available.
Work out your own dates
Set the day you sowed (and planted out, if you did) — your harvest date is below.
Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it
Not sown yet? The standard dates for rhubarb
Plant out
From around 18 Feb
8 weeks before last frost on the UK average
Transplant seedlings to their final position
Harvest
~52 weeks from sowing
Space plants 90cm apart
Get rhubarb seeds
Some links are affiliate links — if you buy through them, a little goes towards the allotment shed, at no extra cost to you.
What rhubarb need
Sun or partial shade. Deep, rich soil with lots of organic matter. Water in dry spells. Mulch heavily with manure each autumn.
The one the Yorkshire forcing sheds keep behind locked doors.
Champagne· our pick
Spacing
90cm between plants
These plants need serious room. Plan for at least a square metre each.
Varieties worth growing
Timperley Early
commonThe first rhubarb of the year, ready from February when the garden is still asleep. Thin, pink stems that pull easily and cook down into a sharp, bright compote. Named after a village in Cheshire, and it's been a reliable early starter for decades.
Rhubarb compote
Chop into chunks, bake with sugar and a splash of orange juice at 180C until just tender but still holding its shape. Spoon over porridge, yoghurt, or vanilla ice cream. The first taste of the growing year.
Victoria
commonThe classic allotment rhubarb that produces thick, green-and-red stems all season long. Vigorous, reliable, and the one that fills pie dishes from April to July. Not the prettiest, but the most productive. Every allotment should have one.
Rhubarb crumble
Chop the stems, toss with sugar and a squeeze of orange, pile into a dish, top with a rubble of butter, flour, and demerara sugar. Bake until the fruit bubbles and the top is golden. Custard is not optional.
Champagne
★ legendaryThe one the Yorkshire forcing sheds keep behind locked doors. Pale pink stems, barely any tartness, and it forces beautifully in the dark to produce the most tender, delicate rhubarb you'll ever taste. If you get this one, you've won.
Poached champagne rhubarb
Cut into elegant lengths, poach very gently in a light syrup of sugar, vanilla, and a strip of lemon peel until just tender. Serve with creme fraiche. The pale pink colour deepens to rose. Handle it like the precious thing it is.
Rhubarb and custard tart
Lay poached pink stems in a blind-baked pastry case, pour over a vanilla custard, bake until just set with a trembling centre. The pink rhubarb glows through the golden custard. Dessert of the year, every year.
Glaskin's Perpetual
uncommonThe only rhubarb you can grow from seed and pull in the first year. Less intensely flavoured than crown-grown varieties, but the speed is the point — sow in spring, eat by autumn. For impatient rhubarb lovers (which is all rhubarb lovers, really).
Rhubarb gin
Chop the stems, pack into a jar with sugar, top with gin, seal, and shake every day for a month. Strain. The gin turns a gorgeous deep pink and tastes of sharp, sweet, British summer. Better than sloe gin. There, I said it.
Good companions
When to sow rhubarb
Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.
Where to buy rhubarb seeds
Some links are affiliate links — if you buy through them, a little goes towards the allotment shed, at no extra cost to you.
Get your exact dates
Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for rhubarb.