5 Victoria Rhubarb Bare Root Plant – Rheum rhabarbarum – USDA Zones 3-8

Overview

Introduce a classic culinary delight to your garden with our Victoria rhubarb bare root starter plants. This offering includes 5 Victoria rhubarb bare root divisions, ready to establish and thrive in your home garden. Rhubarb, scientifically known as Rheum rhabarbarum ‘Victoria’, is a perennial vegetable prized for its edible stalks. The ‘Victoria’ variety is particularly cherished as an heirloom, celebrated for its robust growth, impressive yields, and delightful sweet-tart flavor profile. Ideal for gardeners looking to grow their own produce, these bare root plants are a cost-effective and efficient way to start a rhubarb patch that will provide delicious harvests for many years to come.

Our bare root plants are carefully prepared for shipping, ensuring they arrive ready for planting. This method of starting rhubarb allows the plant to focus its energy on root development once planted, leading to a strong, healthy start. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just beginning, growing Rheum rhabarbarum Victoria is a rewarding experience, yielding versatile stalks perfect for pies, tarts, jams, and other culinary creations. Enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting your own fresh, flavorful rhubarb right from your backyard.

Key Benefits

Growing Victoria rhubarb bare root plants offers a multitude of benefits for both the home gardener and the culinary enthusiast. This heirloom variety stands out for its reliability and delicious output.

• High Yields & Vigor: The ‘Victoria’ rhubarb is known for its exceptional productivity, providing an abundance of thick, tender stalks throughout the growing season. This ensures a plentiful supply for all your culinary needs.
• Classic Sweet-Tart Flavor: Enjoy the quintessential rhubarb taste, described as a perfect balance of sweet and tart, often with hints of apple, gooseberry, and a touch of lemon or wine. This makes it a versatile ingredient for a wide range of dishes.
• Disease Resistance: This robust variety exhibits good natural resistance to common rhubarb diseases, contributing to healthier plants and more consistent harvests with less effort.
• Low Maintenance Perennial: Once established, Rheum rhabarbarum Victoria requires minimal care, making it an excellent choice for busy gardeners. It’s a perennial, meaning it returns year after year, offering a continuous harvest without annual replanting.
• Deer and Pest Resistant: Rhubarb is generally unappealing to deer and many common garden pests, protecting your crop naturally and reducing the need for intervention.
• Versatile Culinary Use: The thick, rosy-red blushed green stalks are perfect for a variety of recipes, from classic rhubarb pies and crumbles to jams, sauces, and even savory dishes.
• Easy to Grow from Bare Root: Planting grow rhubarb from bare root is a straightforward process, allowing for quick establishment and vigorous growth, giving your plants a head start compared to seeds.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Victoria rhubarb bare root plants is relatively simple, ensuring a bountiful harvest for years to come. Rhubarb thrives with the right conditions, and understanding its needs will lead to the best results. For optimal growth, these plants prefer a location with full sun exposure, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. In hotter climates, partial shade during the intense afternoon heat can be beneficial to prevent scorching and conserve moisture. Adequate sunlight is crucial for stalk development and flavor intensity.

The ideal soil for Rheum rhabarbarum Victoria should be fertile, rich in organic matter, and exceptionally well-drained. Rhubarb does not tolerate soggy feet, so good drainage is paramount. Amend heavy clay soils with compost or other organic materials to improve structure and drainage. A soil pH between 6.0 and 6.8 is considered ideal. Water regularly, especially during dry spells and in the first year of establishment, to keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. Once established, rhubarb is quite drought-tolerant but will produce better with consistent moisture. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced organic fertilizer or a generous layer of compost around the base of the plant to encourage strong growth. These plants are quite hardy, making them an excellent choice for those wanting to grow rhubarb from bare root in temperate climates. Protecting young plants from extreme cold in their first winter can be beneficial, though mature plants are very resilient.

Size & Details

This offering includes 5 Victoria rhubarb bare root starter plants, ready for transplanting into your garden. Each bare root is a division taken from a mature, healthy plant, ensuring genetic purity and vigorous growth. Once established, ‘Victoria’ rhubarb plants typically reach a mature size of 2–3 feet tall and spread 3–4 feet wide, forming a substantial clump. The stalks are thick, tender, and generally not stringy, displaying a vibrant green color with an attractive rosy-red blush at the base. These characteristics contribute to the highly desirable flavor and texture of this sweet-tart rhubarb plant. The mature size allows for significant harvests from each plant, making these 5 bare roots capable of producing a large quantity of rhubarb for your kitchen. Expect the plants to become fully productive in their second year after planting.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: Once mature, Victoria rhubarb bare root plants typically grow to be 2-3 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide, forming a robust and productive clump in your garden.
• Q: What condition will the bare roots arrive in? A: Your 5 Victoria rhubarb bare root plants will arrive dormant and carefully packaged, ready for immediate planting. They will not have soil or leaves, as is typical for bare root stock.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Rhubarb is an outdoor perennial vegetable. It requires a period of cold dormancy to produce well and is best suited for garden beds or large outdoor containers.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: Rheum rhabarbarum Victoria thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. In very hot climates, some afternoon shade can be beneficial.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, ‘Victoria’ rhubarb is considered low maintenance once established. It’s an excellent choice for beginners looking to grow rhubarb from bare root, offering disease resistance and requiring minimal fuss.
• Q: When is the best time to plant Victoria rhubarb bare roots? A: The best time to plant rhubarb bare roots is in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, or in the fall before the first hard frost.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This disease resistant rhubarb variety is hardy in USDA Zones 3–8. It can be grown as an annual in warmer zones 9-10, though it thrives as a perennial where it experiences a cold winter dormancy.
• Q: Can I harvest rhubarb in the first year? A: It’s generally recommended to wait until the second year to begin harvesting stalks from your sweet-tart rhubarb plant. This allows the plant to establish a strong root system and ensures vigorous growth for future seasons.
• Q: What kind of soil does rhubarb prefer? A: Rhubarb prefers fertile, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-6.8) is ideal for optimal growth.
• Q: How often should I water my rhubarb? A: Keep the soil consistently moist, especially during dry periods and in the first year after planting. Avoid overwatering, as rhubarb dislikes soggy conditions.