Rhubarb, although technically classified as a vegetable, is, apparently tart to the taste and is often used to make pies, crumbles, jams, and other sweet things. Now, while having edible rhubarb stalks to add to my yearly harvestable foods, that is not the only reason why I decided to add this bright and beautiful plant to my permaculture food forest.

This was what made rhubarb so attractive for my Tennessee permaculture food forest. The clay “soil” gets so hard in the summer that even trying to dig with a spade becomes frustrating and futile.

Gone are the days of trying to crack the clay soil by digging, adding in compost, sand, coffee grounds, and prayers. I shall not miss the days of tilling and drilling and fighting with the clay. Having planted 7 rhubarb root cuttings, the thick and hardy roots of the rhubarb plants will be doing the work of cutting through the clay soil now.

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