Rhubarb is one of the first crops of the year. Wait until the second season before harvesting. Wait until the third season if you started from seed.
Begin picking stalks as soon as they have reached their full length. Depending on the variety, they may be only 12 inches long, or as long as two feet.
To pick rhubarb, hold the stalk firmly, pull and twist.
Do not use a knife to cut the stalks from the plant. The knife can carry diseases from plant to plant, and the remaining stalk can be a point of entry for other pests.
Immediately upon harvesting, use a knife to trim the leaves from the stalks and discard. They are toxic, and leaving them on can speed wilting of the stalks.
The harvest season for rhubarb lasts until the end of June. Until then, pick as many stalks as you wish. After harvest, allow the plant to keep all of its leaves, to build its reserves of energy for the next year.
A common myth is that the entire plant becomes toxic later in the summer. This is not true.
If you pull a few stalks on one occasion later in summer to prepare a special dish, you will not harm plant health and vigor. The stalks may be tougher than spring-harvested rhubarb.
When a seed stalk emerges from the plant, cut it off as soon as you notice it. If the plant flowers and sets seed, it will have used up energy unnecessarily.
I have several very old Rhubarb plants but lost two in the past few years.
A diese got it that there was no cure for so I dug the whole plant up and threw it in the garbage.
I get a leaf spot diese that does not seem to be fatal but I treat with a bio-fungicide and pull all infected leaves and throw them away.
IF- if a plant does show signs of a diese, do not cut the stems; treat the plant and pull all bad ones at the base and toss.
Stalks come off very easily if you do pull first then twist slightly but grab he stalk as low as you can.
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