Crisp Apium graveolens dulce shines as a cool - time of year vegetable in spring or fall — but you have to be patient .
Just - picked crisp cultivated celery from your garden is as close to fresh as you could get . Homegrown Apium graveolens dulce is often dreary in color and slightly little than the commercial varieties useable at the market storage . Celery(Apium graveolens)takes a long time to arise — around four and a one-half months — and is a nerveless - atmospheric condition harvest . Plan to inseminate ejaculate in other spring for a belated summer crop or in the fall for an former spring harvest , depending on your climate . Here ’s how to develop celery in your garden .
Where to Plant Celery
flora celery in an domain of your garden that gets plenty of temperateness — at least six hours daily . Celery grows dear in well - drain stain with a lot of compost or aged manure added . It needs consistently moist soil for attendant and crisp stalk .
Dean Schoeppner
How and When to Plant Celery
Grow cultivated celery from seed sown indoors about two to three months beforethe last Robert Lee Frost in springin your area to get a oral sex start . For a descent crop , start seeds indoors two to three months before thefirst fall frostin your area . Typically , celery seedling arehardened offand transplanted when they have three or four leaves and the theme are well - established . Celery convey about four and a one-half months to reach maturity . If you want to glean rather , take a fast - ripen motley . quad Apium graveolens dulce transplanting 1 foot apart , as a tight planting encourage it to grow tall and produce long petioles .
Celery Care Tips
Celery is easy to grow when you meet its growing requirements .
Light
Celery thrives infull sunwith a lower limit of six hours of sun day by day . It benefits from some shade during the hottest part of the day .
Soil and Water
Apium graveolens dulce does best when grown in well - draining soil with apH of 5.8 to 6.8 . Amending the stain with constitutional matter , such as ripened manure or compost , bring of import nutrients .
cultivated celery likes consistently dampish soil and lean to be thirsty , so be attentive to the soil wet and provide passable water . If itdoesn’t receive sufficient water , the celery develop stringy , tough , or small chaff . Celery need around 1 to 2 inches of water system per week .
Temperature and Humidity
Celery is a nerveless - season vegetable . Plant celery outside once dirt temperature are 50 ° F or higher , and temperatures do n’t go below 40 ° F at night . Celery that is exposed to colder atmospheric condition can go to cum . Celery needs high humidity levels to persist crisp .
Fertilizer
cultivated celery benefits from rich compost in the soil . A month after transplantation , fertilize cultivated celery by sum up 1 tablespoon of5 - 10 - 10 fertilizerabout 3 to 4 inches from each celery plant , espouse the product ’s instructions .
Pests and Problems
Apium graveolens dulce is prone to several pesterer and diseases . Being proactive and checking the plant life oftentimes is the best prevention .
Aphids , carrot rust fly , earwigs , andflea beetlesare vernacular pests that bother cultivated celery . Aphids pull up stakes secretions on the leaves , so check for a wet or muggy film , as they can cause leaves to turn yellow . Flea mallet snack on the foliage , leaving small holes . Nematodes can have root gall , which is the deformation and swelling of the roots .
Celery is susceptible to celery mosaic , bacterial blight , anddamping - off .
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
How to Propagate Celery
cultivated celery is usually propagate by seeds . inseminate them indoors a couple of months before the last frost in your neighborhood . The seeds are flyspeck and need to be soaked overnight in quick water supply to help with the sprouting process . Sow the seeded player indoors by pressing them into potting soil in seed flat or pots without covering them up with soil . Cover the pot or tray with plastic wrap to keep in the wet . They typically germinate within a workweek , but the process can take as long as three weeks . When the seedling are about 2 inches marvelous , they can be transplanted to grownup pots .
Harvesting Celery
crop cultivated celery when the lower chaff are at least 6 inches long . depend on the potpourri , some celery stalks can make 18 in . you could also harvest single stalking by bring down them at the crown of the industrial plant with a tongue or shear .
Types of Celery
‘Conquistador’
Apium graveolens‘Conquistador’is a Apium graveolens dulce variety that can deal passion and maturate in soil with deficient moisture . It produce to 24 inches improbable and exhibits a tolerance to run off . It is so versatile that it can be grow year - bout in many area .
‘Tango’
Apium graveolens‘Tango’is a cultivated celery mixture with smooth , sweet - flavored stalk that give maturity date in 85 - 90 day . This tight - growing cultivated celery grows to 20 inch marvelous and is perfect for expanse with curt growing seasons .
‘Utah 52-70 R Improved’
Apium graveolens‘Utah 52 - 70 universal gas constant ameliorate ’ is disconsolate green and matures in cool temperature . The 30 - column inch - tall plant produces stalks up to 12 inches tall . This assortment is best embed in belated summer and matures in 98 Clarence Day .
‘Afina’
Apium graveolens‘Afina ’ is a cut celery with black green foliation on 20 - inch - marvellous plants . It is turn for its flavorful leaf and seeds rather than stalk . In the kitchen , it is used as an herb . This variety matures in only two month — about half the time as most types of celery .
Celery Companion Plants
Thebest companion plants for celeryare those that partake in the same light , filth , and water requirements .
Cucumbers
Celery andcucumbersboth involve a lot of H2O to grow and thrive , so they make good gardening pals when planted together . Cucumbers are vining plants ; if you expend a treillage for them to climb , they can create spook for the celery plants .
Mint
Growingmintalongside cultivated celery can help reduce pests . Mint is known to fight off aphids , flea beetles , and white fly . Plant it in a control spot , such as a lot . Mint will grow aggressively , cursorily taking over a garden space .
Marigolds
Marigoldsare a seek - after bloom for deter pests by being a ambuscade crop , draw pests to themselves and away from celery . Marigolds keep slugs , snails , and thripid at bay so your cultivated celery can grow .
Spinach
Spinachand Apium graveolens dulce are cool - time of year crops that demand fertile , well - draining territory with plenty of amendment . They have similar lachrymation needs , too ; they both wish damp soil .
Frequently Asked Questions
Although regular celery(Apium graveolens)is sometimes harvest once in summer and again in evenfall , it can also be grown as a edit - and - come - again veg , where a stalk or two are cut as necessitate , leaving the rest of the flora to go forward to produce .
Apium graveolens dulce is grown as an annual in many vegetable gardens , but the plant is a reseeding biennial . If you let a celery plant grow in your garden for a 2d twelvemonth , it will flower and go to seed . Then , you’re able to harvest the semen or count for volunteer seedling the following twelvemonth .
Celery has a shallow root organisation , so avoid root veg like potatoes andcarrots as companions .
Credit: Jay Wilde
Credit: Scott Little
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Scott Little
