I am here in inland San Diego Co. and I have had great luck with rhubarb. I have an extra huge plant that has been in the ground about 3 years now. I am finally going to be brave and divide it this year.

I planted it with lots of my own garden compost. It is on the outside edge of my veggie garden so it does get regular but not soaking irrigation.

While it produces many nice fat stems I rarely harvest any since I am the only one in my family that likes it!It makes a great edible ornamental.

Yeah...Thumbs-up from jillberto!

Thank you for giving me the courage to plant rhubarb here in
Bradbury CA.

Now I know what to do.

I will be using it for my strawberry jam making.

I just need a temporary source to get me started.

There are many varieties of rhubarb, do you by any chance know which one yours is? or one especially for socal?

sib5 - I was curious as to where you are located. My folks are in Monrovia. Bradbury is a small place.

Sorry, I don't know what type I am growing. The stems display more green than red. I just bought it from my local corner nursery.

I could never figure out the timing of rhubarb/strawberry combos.

I'd like to know the variety also if anyone else has had luck. Mine always died in the past and I gave up. Jim in Corona California. Thanks

I was told by my friend Tony Kienitz (Master Vegetablarian, author of The Year I Ate My Yard and edible landscape professional) that to develop good flavor rhubarb needs chilling that we don't have in So Cal. I remember it was grown in Switzerland and made into local specialties (pastries and jams) but it snows there.

I have tried many time to plant Rhubarb. I am in the San Gabriel Valley. One time I was successful and managed to keep the plant going for several years. But then it eventually faded away.

Last year I planted one in a 5 gallon pot, which I move around the yard, depending on what I feel it needs. It looks great now. So I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I love rhubarb pie, so I would love to have a production plant, if possible.

Karin

I think the lack of chill is the major problem in So. Calif. Used to live in Ontario Canada and they grew like weeds with a snow cover, water and rich soil. Regards - Jim McNulty in Corona, Calif.

I have been searching all over for rhubarb! I would like to grow it myself but have been somewhat discouraged by what I have read. I did find a good article by UC Davis called "Rhubarb Production in California".

I would like to try some "Cherry Red" (according the the UCD article, a variety that grows in CA) rhubarb in a barrel instead of the ground as it should get colder during the winter.

If that doesn't work, they say you can do rhubarb as an annual, but that could get mighty pricey since Park Seeds is selling sets (of two) bareroot rhubarb for $12.95.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rhubarb Production in California

Would love to get a couple rhubarb plants, if someone is thinning out their plants. I live in the North County San Diego
silverring18@netscape.net

I think I saw some rhubarb plants at Green Arrow. Never have tried growing it, but I love rhubarb/strawberry pie!

They are currently selling Victoria Rhubarb bulbs at Home Depot for $3.98 per 2. I live in Lemon Grove (San Diego).

You will see it in the stores along with tulips and other cold area plants that don't grow well here. It's fun to try but it prefers winter cold as others have said.

Jassiada: Home Depot and Lowe's sell lots of plants and seeds that have no business being planted here. Example -- Long day onion seeds.

I've never grown rhubarb but it sounds like it likes a chill. Maybe in the Mountains of SoCal?

Kevin

Some advice given by a long time gardener was to plant the Rhubarb, but don't wait a year to harvest like usually suggested because it will probably not return. Think of it like a zucchini plant that you start again each season.

So I put one rhubarb in a place that it would be in the way next season, but fine for this one year. Three years later it is still happy and making rhubarb in a west facing hillside full sun all day slope.

I will try Victoria which I got from Burpee. There are several others deemed to grow here in SoCal (I'm in Southern Orange County) named Cleugh, Crimson Winter, Burbank Giant and New Giant Crimson Winter but I have not been able to find them anywhere. If anyone does please post the source.

I have a client that swears her mother used to grow rubarb in Glendale for ages.

i put in a Victoria last fall (about this time of year). I got about 1/1/2 gallons of rhubarb from it this summer. I know people in my area that have had a plant for years, but I too have read that the plant may not be perennial
in SoCal
. My mom bought some frozen rhubarb at Ralph's (grown in Canada)

I have a property in Hacienda Height that has a rhubarb plant that has thrived without any care for many years. It is close to the house in the shade. It has beautiful red stalks. It was my decease mothers plant and has been there for years. It looks gorgeous and on the smaller size. I am not a fan of sugar and would like to use it, but am not sure when to use or if it is safe to use. It looks like it is flowering. Should I cut the flowers??? Will it die out.???Should I cut some of the stalks??? Should I divide it.

It was my mothers and she used to can and preserve and enjoy this plant so I would like to keep it as a reminder of her and care for it.

I grow rhubarb with great results in San Marcos, CA.(zone 10a) I grow a variety that does fine without winter chill. It's called Glaskins Perpetual. Although they are currently sold out, Annies Annuals in NoCA sells it. Just go to their web site and put it on your wish list. They will email you when it's in stock again. In my opinion, Annies is the best mail order nursery on earth! They carry so many wonderful CA plants. I highly recommend them. Lisa

Elsielindquist: as long as you don't eat the leaves you'll be ok. Pull the stalks off by giving them a slight twist, then cut off the leaves. If the stalk is thick enough it's ok to harvest it. Do not let rhubarb flower, twist those blooming stalks off immediately, they sap the strength from the plant. You won't need to divide it unless it gets too scrawny. Then you dig the whole thing out of the ground, divide it and immediately plant again or give some to a friend who wants one. Rhubarb does not like to be disturbed, it will grow happily for many years in the same place, just don't forget to feed it at least once a year.

Rhubarb makes wonderful jam especially if you add strawberries to make it nice and red. Instead of all that sugar that you need to make rhubarb palatable try using at least half of Splenda to make jam.

I see the last post is from last year, but incase anyone is still monitoring this chat, does anyone know where to find rhubar plants in san diego? I have searched and query and still have not found anyone that carries them. Any help is appreciated.

Hi Richard,

You are probably going to have to wait until October/November. That is when the nurseries carry rhubarb plants. Another option would to order it from an online nursery. I like Gurney's although many plants can't be shipped to California. I bought my plant at a local (Santa Barbara) nursery in 2014 and it is still producing. I think it is a "Victoria". This is a good variety for SoCal, although it isn't very red. I get mostly green stalks with just red at the base.