Rhubarb and SFG

k-g-harris 5/18/2014, 10:24 pm

I have two established Rhubarb plants in the ground, 3rd season for both. I have bought a new plant and would like to put it in a raised SFG. But I couldn't find any mention of rhubarb in my SFG book. Is 6 inches deep enough? 1 per square foot?

mollyhespra 5/18/2014, 11:15 pm

Hello & welcome to the forum.

Rhubarb has an extensive root system. Read this article & you'll see what I mean. My rhubarb isn't in my SFG, but if it were, it would easily take up 9 squares once established.

HTH & good luck!

**sfg4uKim** 6/11/2014, 9:20 pm

k-g-harris wrote:I have two established Rhubarb plants in the ground, 3rd season for both. I have bought a new plant and would like to put it in a raised SFG. But I couldn't find any mention of rhubarb in my SFG book. Is 6 inches deep enough? 1 per square foot?

Hi k-g-harris

Sorry I missed your original post. Welcome.

What did you decide to do? I LOVE SFG but there are just some things I don't do in my SFG beds - perennial herbs because they end up growing too large for the square after a year or two and potatoes are just a couple.

**jimmy cee** 6/12/2014, 7:35 am

I have 3 rhubarb plants in 1 bed that's not M.M., just solid soil.
The picture included shows the first season which was 4 years ago.
I would not be able to plant anything in this bed due to the rhubarbs taking over the entire bed, and they are gorgeous, tasty also.
I place my strawberry plant containers in this area when the rhubarb's done.

**AtlantaMarie** 6/12/2014, 7:55 am

Well, this is good timing. I was about to seed some Glaskins Perpetual rhubarb I got from Baker Creek. The plan was to put them in the perennial bed... But maybe I'll rethink that...

Thanks, guys!

And welcome, K-G.

Nonna.PapaVino 6/12/2014, 12:23 pm

In a well-amended bed (sack of cow compost dumped on the plant just before it starts growing in Spring), a rhubarb plant can easily outgrow a 4 square foot bed. Our old plant Big Mama is five feet across and some of the stalks are almost as big around as my wrist. I don't know how deep the roots grow, but the one time I tried to remove an entire rhubarb plant to give my sister a start, I swear the roots were speaking Mandarin. BTW, it transplanted well, but the next spring some part I'd missed came up in my new strawberry bed, and I still haven't been able to get it all out. Nonna

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