FULL SUN Native to Siberia and southwest Asia, Rhubarb has been cultivated for thousands of years. It was brought to America with the earliest colonists where it escaped from gardens and proliferated in the wild across the continent. Crimson Red, introduced in 1961, produces large red spears which are tender and very sweet.

To grow rhubarb from roots, plant the roots as soon as the soil is workable. In southern climates, fall planting is also practicable. Dig a series of holes that are three feet apart from center to center. Dig the holes two feet deep and two feet across. Line each hole with 6-8 inches of well-rotted cow manure and then begin to fill the holes with a mixture of equal parts compost and soil. Set the roots, one per hole, so that the tops of the roots lie 3-4 inches below the surface of the soil and finish filling the hole with the soil-compost mixture. Do not harvest the stalks during the first year. In the fall, mulch with decomposed cow manure. In the spring, remove the mulch, and fertilize with a fertilizer high in nitrogen, then replace the mulch. During the second year, harvest lightly. Beginning in the third year, harvest only for about eight weeks. Immediately after harvesting a stalk cut off the leaves. The stalks will retain their moisture much longer.