The preparation and planning for your rhubarb should ideally begin in the fall with the actual planting following the next spring. Your first step and possibly the most important one towards your own rhubarb is determining the best location for your plant or plants in your yard or garden. Many things will come into play here as this plant could be in place for 20 years or more. You ll want to think about future plans for your garden or yard and place the plant or plants in an area where you won t need to disturb them in the next few years because good rhubarb production takes at least 2 years from planting to achieve. The location must provide plenty of sunlight and fertile, well drained soil.
Size is another consideration.
The plant will start out small, but will spread and requires approximately a four-foot square area to grow in depending upon the variety of rhubarb you choose. I ll assume now that you have your rhubarb location chosen. The next step is to prepare the plot. This should begin in the fall prior to when you are planning on actually planting your rhubarb. You should start by removing all weeds and debris from the surface.