How to Grow Celery

First of all whilst Celery may look like a simple vegetable it can be hard to grow with just one hard frost killing your entire crop. It also has takes a long time to grow - around 5 months.

Soil Quality

It does best in a bed with manure well dug into the soil several weeks prior to planting. It likes soil that retains moisture well and so soil that is well manured is best suited. If your soil is well drained you will need to water daily during hot periods

Sowing

It does not have a high germination rate at all so you will need to sow them in potting compost in seed trays in clusters of 5-6 just a few inches apart and approximately 0.5 cm deep. Thin out all weak plant other than the one that is the strongest of the 5-6 sown.

You can sow from late March onwards. The seedlings will take around 14 days to shoot and are ideally suited to temperatures around 70 degrees or more. Once the seedlings are around 8cm tall they can be planted out in the garden ideally when average temperatures are above 55 degrees. When you plant them outside space the seedlings 15-20cm apart, in rows that are about 90cm apart.

Note that Celery plants do not grow well in very hot conditions or very cold conditions, a hot spell or cold spell can either cause it to wither, or kill it, respectively.

Nurturing

Celery is high in water content and so accordingly it needs regular watering to gain a high yield. Ensure the beds are kept free from weeds. You can encourage growth by covering up the stems to reduce the light reaching them. This is call blanching and will reduce the bitterness of it and will make your stalks paler. Simply pile up soil around the stalks as they develop about a month before you are harvesting the crop.

Harvesting

When it has reached the size you want simply cut the plant off above the soil line keep all stalks as one unit. Wash the whole plant in cold water and dry. The Celery will keep in your fridge for up to two weeks.

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