Rhubarb is grown for its edible tender stems that are used like fruit, commonly in desserts, in spring and early summer. It is a plant that can produce an abundance of stems for many years without much fuss and the traditional rhubarb season tends to run from mid spring to mid summer.
Rhubarb is very versatile and can be grown in the ground, in raised garden beds, or in planters if you prefer growing fruit in pots. It benefits from a mulch of well-rotted compost every spring and the removal of flower stalks as they appear. Not fertilizing plants regularly is a common mistake when growing rhubarb.
Forced rhubarb is the term that applies to the same plants being grown out of season in darkness. This method speeds the growing of paler, thinner stems and allows for harvesting up to a month earlier than non-forced plants.
Home gardeners can force rhubarb simply by covering the clump with pots or buckets, while commercial growers will have thousands of plants growing in darkness in large sheds.