Of the 25 seeds planted back in January, about 15 survived to plant in the yard. I added two bare-root plants and another potted rhubarb for about 18 total plants.
A couple of the plants started from seed proved to be the best producers. For no rhyme or reason, some plants sprouted enormous shoots up to 3 feet tall.
Others remaining delicate little plants with shoots less than a foot. Throughout the summer I've been harvesting rhubarb off about all the plants.
I struggled with a rhubarbian dilemma. I started out trying the Texas method, which called for planting from seed and harvesting the entire plant as an annual, rather than a perennial. My dilemma was that the plants all seemed to be doing so well, that I thought they might survive and actually establish themselves as perennials.
Unfortunately, as the late summer heated up, some (many) of the plants start dying off.
I'm now down to the potted plant, 1 bare-root and about 5 of the plants started from seed (a couple of which appear to be not long for the world.
The potted plant suffered an early setback; the day after planting it, Leo decided to help us out in the garden by unplanting it. It's actually survived reasonably well, now protected by a tomato cage. I think it may actually make it for the long term, dog willing.
I've produced a few crisps (including an abortive attempt using Stevia instead of sugar, bleah!) some rhubarb sauce, but sadly no strawberry-rhubarb pie, because we've only produced about a strawberry and a half from our meager strawberry patch.
Anyway, I declare the rhubarb experiment a success. I submit as proof, Nicholas with his Rhubarb-Peach Birthday Crisp.
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