When to plant rhubarb in the UK
Outdoors, rhubarb go in from around 5 October in Edinburgh to 23 October in Brighton.
- Type
- Hardy Copes with cold
- First harvest
- Every year once it’s established
- Spacing
- 90 cm between plants
- In pots
- Not really better in the ground
- Straight in the ground. Plant rhubarb where they’re to grow, not in seed trays.
- Goes in as it cools. Rhubarb is planted in autumn to grow through the winter and crop the following year.
Town by town
24 towns from north to south. Dates move later the further you go from the equator and the higher up. Tap a town for its full calendar.
Plant outdoorsPlant under cover (a greenhouse or polytunnel)
| TownTown, north to south | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EdinburghFrom 5 OctOutdoors 5 Oct to 3 Dec | January: Not this month | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant under cover |
| GlasgowFrom 6 OctOutdoors 6 Oct to 7 Dec | January: Not this month | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| Newcastle upon TyneFrom 12 OctOutdoors 12 Oct to 17 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| BelfastFrom 12 OctOutdoors 12 Oct to 11 Jan | January: Plant outdoors and under cover | February: Plant under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| LeedsFrom 14 OctOutdoors 14 Oct to 16 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| BradfordFrom 12 OctOutdoors 12 Oct to 12 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| PrestonFrom 15 OctOutdoors 15 Oct to 24 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| Kingston upon HullFrom 18 OctOutdoors 18 Oct to 19 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| ManchesterFrom 15 OctOutdoors 15 Oct to 20 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| LiverpoolFrom 17 OctOutdoors 17 Oct to 2 Jan | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| SheffieldFrom 15 OctOutdoors 15 Oct to 17 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| NottinghamFrom 17 OctOutdoors 17 Oct to 17 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| LeicesterFrom 17 OctOutdoors 17 Oct to 18 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| WolverhamptonFrom 14 OctOutdoors 14 Oct to 14 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| BirminghamFrom 15 OctOutdoors 15 Oct to 14 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| CoventryFrom 17 OctOutdoors 17 Oct to 18 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| SwanseaFrom 18 OctOutdoors 18 Oct to 7 Jan | January: Plant outdoors and under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| Southend-on-SeaFrom 23 OctOutdoors 23 Oct to 29 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| LondonFrom 22 OctOutdoors 22 Oct to 25 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| CardiffFrom 21 OctOutdoors 21 Oct to 24 Jan | January: Plant outdoors and under cover | February: Plant under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| ReadingFrom 20 OctOutdoors 20 Oct to 25 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| BristolFrom 19 OctOutdoors 19 Oct to 30 Dec | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| SouthamptonFrom 22 OctOutdoors 22 Oct to 4 Jan | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Plant under cover | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
| BrightonFrom 23 OctOutdoors 23 Oct to 1 Jan | January: Plant under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Plant outdoors and under cover | November: Plant outdoors and under cover | December: Plant outdoors and under cover |
Don’t see your town? Find it by name or postcode.
Rhubarb in other countries
When to plant other crops in the UK
Fruiting
Roots
Leaves
Beans and peas
Onion family
Brassicas
Herbs
Fruit
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App StoreComing soonHow these dates are worked out: climate records for each town (ERA5-Land, 1995 to 2024), its frost dates and its height above sea level turn a seed-packet date into a local one. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information; towns from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). How sowing dates work