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I live in Concord CA. 50 miles east of SF. Summers in the east bay can be hot . 80°-100+°June%sept ,oct. Spring 70-80°s. Grew up in Midwest miss rhubarb 5$/lb here in grocery stores. I read crimson rhurbarb tolerated the heat To late to plant this year? Thanks, Kathleen

Kathleen Krywokulsky
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Your climate is actually similar to that of central Oklahoma; if anything, it's actually a little cooler in the summer (my daughter went to the University of Oklahoma, so I'm somewhat familiar with it). Oklahoma State University recommends Canada Red (Chipman’s) and MacDonald rhubarb. Here's the source; it includes all types of vegetables for Oklahoma, which you may also find helpful.

EDIT: As far as when to put them into the ground, this site (meant for Southern homeowners) says to plant crowns as early in spring as possible, which is probably too late for your area. OTOH, personally I'd ignore this advice if I could purchase a crown relatively inexpensively and have it shipped ASAP. Why not try it? You won't have much to lose and you may gain a year in your quest for edible rhubarb.

Jurp
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Sure it is worth a try. For home consumption you really only need one plant if it grows well; the key is to find the right location and soil. The location needs to be well drained and protected from the heat of the midday sun. Ideally you want to dig a nice big hole a couple of feet deep and fill it with a mix of rotted manure and good black earth.

To get started see if there is a nursery that has rhubarb in a container, buy a bag of topsoil and a pot the next size bigger to move the plant into. Then as the rhubarb fills the new pot move it about the garden to see where it seems happiest. In that location dig the hole and fill with very rich soil and move the plant into its new home.

In the first few years the idea is to get the roots going deep. You will probably find that the leaves burn off in the full summer heat, but this is normal, the leaves will come in the following spring quite reliably.

Colin Beckingham
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While summer heat certainly is a consideration, apparently winter chill hours are more important -- if a rhubarb plant doesn't spend enough time at a low enough temperature over the winter months, it will decline and fail. This is similar to the chill hours certain fruit trees need to successfully set fruit. You don't have cold enough winters in the Bay Area for perennial rhubarb to thrive. Check out this website https://cfgrower.com/growing-rhubarb-in-warmer-climates/ for information on how to successfully grow rhubarb from seed as an annual.

Lynne
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