When to plant rhubarb in New York City

Why these dates

Plant dormant crowns with the buds just at soil level. Take nothing at all in the first year and only lightly in the second - the plant is building a root system, and stripping it early stunts it permanently. After that, pull rather than cut, and stop by midsummer.

The crown is entirely hardy and actively wants the cold. Early stalks caught by a hard frost turn limp and should be discarded rather than eaten.

Rhubarb are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in New York City is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. New York City is zone 8a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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