Dotty, mine has been great no problems. We've had a couple of cold winters which rhubarb likes so that won't be the problem, the cool weather we're having is ideal for rhubarb, this might sound like a silly question but is it getting enough water? Is it an old patch, has it gone to seed (remove seed stalks as soon as you see them). Maybe it's time to divide and replant. Rhubarb is also a heavy feeder, maybe it needs some fertilizer, aged manure is really good.

Annette

Definitely not due to the cool weather. I used to grow rhubarb in Anchorage, Alaska, where the weather that we have had in Seattle this summer would be typical or even warmer than normal. My rhubarb plant was over 5' tall and close to 10' wide. The leaves were in the 3' range. Rhubarb loves cool temps.

Have had 2 harvests and the plants are ready for a third.
Wet and cool spring.

The 1,100-pounds of rhubarb grower should turn professional.

Have had three harvests of beautiful stalks on 3x3 plants, but neighbors plants were stringy and colorless, spongy and inedible. Ours are heavily fertilized every year and theirs were not. Where's the 110 lb rhubarb guy? I need those secrets!

I checked my plants which are still alive, but the stalks are still black spotted and spongy. I think they have had lotsof water AM, but sometimes you get fooled by the constant grey weather and we really haven't had a lot of rain since April. Mind you, usually I am eating rhubarb in April...not this year. Oh well, just another frustration in the garden. seattlesuze, that's a good description of my rhubarb. I'm going to have to have a long talk with Nick the super rhubarb grower! I know it involves a lot of rotted cow manure, and the fact that he is Dutch probably helps. They can grow anything.

I seem to have healthy plants and dark red stalks,but they are rather short. Any ideas on what's going on?

Kathy, this is a thread from last year. Interestingly, this year has been better but still not wonderful. I am using grass clippings around the plants and I think that helps. It seems that last year and this year, our spring has been very cool, grey and rainy. Let's hope this summer is sunny and warm!

Dotty, I don't have access to horse manure so I improvise. When we used to raise rabbits in the fall I folded all the remaining leaves over the crowns and then dumped a huge bucket of rabbit manure over top the leaves. I don't have access to rabbit manure now so I fold the leaves over the crowns and dump a sack of chicken and mushroom manure over the leaves. In the spring this has all washed in around the crowns. Once again we've had wonderful Rhubarb.

Annette