I am growing rhubarb above ground in my small rural landscape this year. I am hoping that this new-to-me growing method will result in a more robust plant—one that I can actually harvest rhubarb from—in midsummer.

Last year was the first year I had grown rhubarb in my small backyard garden at my country home. I had high hopes for harvesting long ruby stalks, making fresh pies and freezing some for tastes of summer in the depths of winter. In the early spring I had divided a rhubarb plant at my community garden in the city to establish a country crop. The transplanting went well, as rhubarb is truly a vigorous, hardy plant in my experience can handle relocations with no problems

But then, just as spring was turning to summer, the plant began to suffer. Here are whys and hows of changing my rhubarb growing from in the garden to in an above-ground container.

Why Grow Rhubarb Above Ground

I have two five-letter words for why I made the move: slugs and pests. Ground-crawling slugs (and snails, too) became a garden nuisance last year. I had laid down a thick layer of salt marsh hay mulch, and those creepy creatures took sweet refuge under it. They’d come out in the evenings and eat big holes in the rhubarb leaves. And not just my rhubarb, by the way. This happened despite my use of diatomaceous earth, which (theoretically) keeps slugs and snails away. I believe other night-time pests were in play, too, but could never catch them in the act.

While I routinely fertilized, watered and applied compost to the garden, I believe my garden soil is also out of balance when it comes to nutrients. This lack of nutrition may have led to a lack of vigor. And when a plant lacks vigor, it’s more susceptible to/doesn’t bounce back from pest damage.

In growing my rhubarb above ground, i.e. in a container and not with its roots in my garden, I’m hoping to A) keep crawling pests away from it and B) provide the plant with better soil in which to establish itself.

Planting Rhubarb in a Container

The actual rhubarb plant that I had issues with last year is still in its spot in my garden. However, I divided my city rhubarb once again (because the city rhubarb has absolutely no problems growing to giant proportions each year) and planted a portion of it in a container.

The container. I am using a fabric-based Smart Pot that is approximately 15-20 gallons in size. The heavy-duty fabric is breathable, allowing for “air pruning,” which creates lots of small-sized roots. These smaller roots have better oxygen exchange and nutrient absorption. The Smart Pot is also malleable/flexible so relatively easy to move.

The soil mix. I filled the Smart Pot with the Container Blend Potting Mix from Organic Mechanics. It contains compost, pine bark, coconut coir, worm castings and rice hulls. This makes a well-draining but moisture-retentive mix that roots can easily grow through. I also added a Fuhgeddaboudit! Root Zone Feeder Pack from Organic Mechanics to the planting hole. This packet contains a pre-measured does of 4-2-2 fertilizer, mycorrhizae, biochar, azomite and super-ground oyster shells and is meant to help plants get established. It’s like having a wheatgrass superfood shot to get you going on your day.

I just planted my rhubarb in the Smart Pot yesterday. I’ll place it near my house in a location with fewer pests and where I can keep an eye on it. I will report back on its progress in late summer.