posted 4 years ago
I've certainly been sowing rhubarb seeds from the same package for consecutive years without a problem, so they're not the most short lived seeds.
I don't remember germination being slow either. More of a problem - for less than patient people - can be the slow development towards mature plants. Having to wait 3 years for your first harvest is a long time, although some varieties can start giving some yield in their second year, but you can't take too many stalks from a juvenile rhubarb plant.
Then there are the genetic variations between rhubarb plants grown from seed, which is also a big reason why rhubarb gets cloned a lot, because then you know what you get. If you do sow rhubarb, it is advisable to let quite a few seedlings develop, then later select the best ones. I've grown a few different varieties of rhubarb from seed, it's interesting and not difficult, but it takes a bit of devotion.