North Mountain Old Rhubarb (Victoria) (Rheum rhabarbarum) This old homestead variety has been on our North Mountain farm for at least 100 years in the original family gardens and has self seeded itself. We have selected a few choice plants and are offering the seed from this heirloom variety of what we believe is ‘Victoria’ Rhubarb. This assumption and diagnostics confirmed after a most historically intriguing chat with a valley old-timer who was ‘purty darun sure’ that the rhubarb planted on our farm would have dated back to the 1870’s and furthermore, it could only be old Victoria at that time. Joseph Myatt introduced this variety in England in the 1830’s in honour of the Queen! ‘Long to reign over us’ indeed, this rhubarb has survived many decades here on the North Mountain of Nova Scotia, likely sown by the Bent family who homesteaded this farm in the late 1850's. This is a super sweet variety, therefore less sugar needs to be added in baking and cooking pies and cobblers. Stalks are very thick and red, reaching 2 to 3 feet tall and yielding 5 to 12 pounds of stalks per crown.
50 seeds per packet $4.45
Planting Instructions:
Start indoors in April, sowing seeds 3/4 - 1 inch deep and then transplant, spacing plants 36” apart. Pre-soaking seeds for 6-8 hours will help germination. Rhubarb can also be directly sown in mid-May where plants are to grow permanently. Optimal soil temperature is 16-25°C.
