How do we get rhubarb to grow?

- Alright, Mr.  Bobby, hope that helps you out. Alright, here's our next viewer email, which is a letter. "Dear Friends, how do I get rhubarb to grow?” Three years ago, I got a plant, "but every time a leaf starts growing, another dies.” I have moved it several times "to try to see if it will grow.” The roots look healthy. "

And this is from Miss Annette in Madison, Tennessee. So thank you, Miss Annette. So, how do I get rhubarb to grow?
What do you think about that one?

- Well, you know, as much as the South is known for rhubarb pie, rhubarb really does not like this part of the country. It likes colder temperatures. In fact, it prefers in the winter, for average temperatures to be below 40 and then in the summer, below 75 and, you know, we have 80 degree nights on end around here, so that's probably why it's struggling. I would get it as well-drained an area as possible, you know, maybe make a raised bed for it. I have heard that you can get starts and you can start it from seed, but the best time to harvest rhubarb is usually in the spring, in the South, with the strawberries, so strawberry -rhubarb pie would be possible.

- You know, of course, rhubarb is native to Siberia.

Where you have cool, moist summers. And the soils, of course, freeze. - We don't have any of that. - We don't have any of that. I'm not one to discourage folks, on not trying to grow things, but do know that rhubarb, they just don't like our conditions here.

- I think she just wants more than one stalk, so she can harvest it, which would be nice. - Which would be nice?

- So hopefully, she can get that if maybe she puts it in a raised bed area, so that it gets well-drained and maybe has some afternoon shade.