Gardeners are being told to stop harvesting rhubarb this summer to ensure a better crop next year. Mertie Mae, founder of Horticulture Talk, says leaving the plant alone allows it to store essential sugars and nutrients.
Why You Should Stop Picking Rhubarb
Rhubarb continues to grow stalks through the summer, but continuous harvesting prevents it from recovering before autumn. The plant relies on rhizomes, underground structures that store energy for winter survival and spring regrowth.
Stalks help leaves perform photosynthesis, converting sunlight into sugars. By leaving the plant untouched, it can build up these reserves. Repeated picking drains energy, causing stress and weaker growth in future years, with thinner, bitter stalks. In severe cases, the plant may not survive winter.
Summer Stress and Care Tips
July to August is typically dry, adding stress to rhubarb. Mae explains: "The lower amount of available water and the lower amount of sugar (because the reserve from the previous year has been used in spring) make the stalks thin and of a poorer quality."
To help, remove flowers as soon as they appear, as they divert energy from the roots. Water at least weekly, especially when soil is dry. Letting rhubarb die back naturally will result in a robust plant next spring, ready to produce plump, crimson stalks.
