Rhubarb 'Goliath'

Planting Your Rhubarb
Choose a sunny position with fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. ‘Goliath’ develops into a substantial plant, so prepare the ground well before planting with plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost.

Planting Crowns
Plant crowns with the growing point at soil level or just visible above the surface, spacing plants around 75–90cm apart. Water well after planting. If you can't plant straight away, keep the crowns somewhere cool and keep the roots moist, then plant as soon as possible.

Planting Potted Plants
Potted rhubarb can be planted straight into its final position. Plant at the same depth it was growing in the pot, gently firm the soil around the root ball and water thoroughly.

Growing in Containers
‘Goliath’ is a vigorous variety that can reach around 1m across, so it is better suited to the vegetable plot or allotment where it has plenty of room to develop. If growing in a container, choose a particularly large, substantial pot and keep it well watered and fed.

Watering & Feeding
Water during prolonged dry spells and feed in spring as growth gets underway. An annual mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost will help retain moisture and improve the soil, but keep it clear of the crown itself.

Top Tip
Give ‘Goliath’ plenty of room and don't allow it to dry out during prolonged hot weather. Keeping this vigorous variety growing strongly will help it produce the big, substantial stems it's known for.

When to Harvest
‘Goliath’ is a mid- to late-season variety, producing its main crop from late spring into summer. Once established, it is capable of producing particularly generous harvests.

Give New Plants Time
Don't harvest newly planted crowns during their first growing season. In the second year, take only a small number of stems so the crown can continue building strength. From the third year onwards, established plants can be harvested normally.

How to Pick Rhubarb
Choose well-developed stems, grasp them close to the base and pull firmly with a gentle twist. The stalk should come cleanly away from the crown rather than being cut.

Don't Take the Lot
However tempting a big crop may be, always leave plenty of healthy stems and foliage on the plant. These leaves continue feeding the crown and help build up its reserves for the following year.

Top Tip
A well-established ‘Goliath’ crown can produce around 5kg of stems in a season. If you have more than you can use fresh, chop and freeze some of the harvest while the stems are at their best.

Suitable for Forcing
‘Goliath’ can be forced to produce an earlier crop of tender stems. Covering an established crown to exclude light encourages the stalks to grow more quickly and produces paler, more tender growth.

How to Force Your Rhubarb
Cover a strong, established crown in winter with a rhubarb forcer or tall upturned container that completely excludes the light. Check the developing stems regularly and harvest once they're large enough to use.

Give the Crown Time to Recover
Forcing uses a considerable amount of the crown's stored energy, so don't force young plants or the same crown every year. Once you've finished harvesting the forced stems, uncover the plant and allow it time to recover.

Made for Big Batches
With its thick stems and generous crops, ‘Goliath’ is a particularly useful variety if you like making plenty of rhubarb crumbles, pies, compotes, jams and preserves.

Save Some for Later
A large harvest doesn't need to be used all at once. Wash and trim spare stalks, cut them into pieces and freeze them so you've got homegrown rhubarb ready for cooking later in the year.

Remove the Leaves
Only the stalks are edible. Remove and discard the leaves after harvesting, as rhubarb leaves should not be eaten.

Rhubarb Crowns
Choose crowns if you prefer to plant rhubarb while it is dormant. Your collection will contain three dormant crowns, carefully packaged and ready to plant. They may have little or no visible top growth when they arrive – this is completely normal. Crowns are despatched from November.

Potted Rhubarb Plants
Choose potted plants for established young rhubarb plants already growing in nursery pots. Your collection will contain three potted plants, ready to plant straight into their final positions on arrival. Depending on the time of year, they may already have leaves and stems. Potted plants are despatched from April.

What to Expect Through the Seasons
Rhubarb is a hardy herbaceous perennial, so its appearance naturally changes throughout the year. Plants grow strongly through spring and early summer before the foliage dies back later in the year. The crowns remain dormant through winter before producing fresh new growth the following spring.

Can't Plant Your Crowns Straight Away?
Keep them somewhere cool and keep the roots moist, but don't leave them stored for longer than necessary. Plant as soon as conditions allow, avoiding frozen or waterlogged ground.