When to harvest Rhubarb in the UK
Rhubarb is normally planted as a dormant crown rather than sown from seed — the first full harvest comes in its second year — so the dates below are harvest dates, not sowing dates.
Harvest dates by region
Rhubarb is harvested at much the same time across the whole UK, so every region below reads the same. Planting time does shift by region, and Plot adjusts it from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Harvest |
|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March to early August |
| South Coast and Channel | late March to early August |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March to early August |
| South East and Home Counties | late March to early August |
| East Anglia | late March to early August |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late March to early August |
| Wales and West Coast | late March to early August |
| Northern England | late March to early August |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late March to early August |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late March to early August |
| Northern Ireland | late March to early August |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late March to early August |
Growing notes
Plant dormant crowns in November or December (up to early March at a push), with the bud just at soil level. Take nothing in the first season and only a light pull in the second, then crop from March or April to July or August and divide the crown roughly every five years.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 100 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 150 cm
- Plants per m²
- 1
- Yield per plant
- 4.5 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 45 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 45 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- rhubarb crown rot / dieback
- flowering (bolting)
- thin weak stalks
- slugs
Companion planting
Grows well near
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for rhubarb.