Transplanting Rhubarb

Blanched leaves eager for spring, sun, and some leg room

I'm not the biggest fan of sweet pies like rhubarb, but 2 years ago I couldn't help but pick up several packages of dormant (dry looking) rhubarb root-stock at the nursery. I had just finished re-reading a book about turn-of-the-century life in the mining camps above Telluride, CO (elev. 10,000+), Tomboy Bride by Harriet Fish Backus, and was intrigued that this leafy perennial (the leaves are poisonous!) was winter-hardy even in that extreme environment. Gallup's cold winters and spring nights should be no match for this tart vegetable! My mistake was trying to make these perennials portable. Contemplating a possible move in the future, I planted the roots in several large pots. They came vigorously to life that spring, but have always produced abundant but very skinny shoots and leaves. So, after two seasons of confinement, I decided this was the season to give them a permanent place in the garden. The small waffle garden in the backyard is where I've decided to plant most of my perennial herbs and vegetables, a perfect home for the rhubarb. The transplant went well with seemingly little damage to the burly roots, and the emerging leaves (blanched yellow from lack of light while the pots were stacked over the winter) are unfurling more each day.

The transplant stage is set