Gardeners are being urged to stop harvesting rhubarb in July to ensure a healthy crop next year. Mertie Mae, a gardening expert and founder of Horticulture Talk, advises leaving the plant undisturbed for the rest of the summer to allow it to build up energy reserves.
Rhubarb is a hardy perennial that relies on rhizomes to store sugars and nutrients needed to survive winter and regrow in spring. Continuous harvesting depletes these reserves, leading to weaker plants and thinner, smaller, and potentially bitter stalks in the following year.
July is often a dry period, placing additional stress on rhubarb. Mae notes that lower water availability and reduced sugar reserves result in poor-quality stalks. To maintain plant health, gardeners should stop picking and instead focus on removing flowers and watering at least once a week.
By leaving rhubarb to grow naturally and die back, it will produce thick, red stalks next spring. This low-maintenance approach allows gardeners to relax during summer while ensuring a bountiful harvest in the future.
