Anyone Ever Grown Celery In A Home Garden??

[habitat_gardener]

I've planted celery from 6-packs a couple previous years. I was able to successfully harvest a stalk at a time (a small leafy stalk) while pulling off the many slug-damaged stalks, and then in the spring all of a sudden they bolted before I noticed. Since then they've reseeded in my garden, and I let them be and go to seed for the beneficial insects. If I'm at the garden at a propitious hour, sometimes I can harvest an undamaged stalk.

This year I wanted to try red-stemmed celery, so I grew some Redventure. Germination was excellent! I divided one of the small clumps into about 35 plants and finally planted them out a couple weeks ago. I don't water every day, but I mulch well, and so far most of them look good, especially the ones that are not in full sun.

None of the local/regional gardening books say anything useful (encouraging) about growing celery. THe local master gardeners had a presentation on winter veg growing and did not talk about celery, so I asked what the secret is, and the presenter said it was too difficult for her so she just buys it.

Other plants I've tried are Chinese celery (leafier and intended for cooking, also reseeds) and lovage (an herb that tastes a little like celery, also for cooking, but perennial so it comes back every year).

[rnewste]

I started seeds on June 6 using the paper towel method. Transplanted them out into 6-pack cell trays end of June.

Here they are on my partially shaded deck today, August 22:



I am planning on transplanting them into their EarthTainers in mid-September, hoping for productive stalks in November.

One of the unexpected "benefits" has been a wonderful aroma when sitting down-wind of them on the deck. Reminds me of Thanksgiving Dinner of years ago...

Raybo

[kath]

Your celery starts are looking fantastic, Raybo! Looks like you'll have lots of celery for the Thanksgiving stuffing this year.

Kath

[rnewste]

Thanks Kath,

I highly recommend folks grow Celery seedlings in their kitchen window, even if they never transplant them outside. The aroma of the fresh Celery leaves is truly intoxicating!!!!

Raybo

[piegirl]

I found a 4 or 6 pack several years ago and had to try it. My father (age 94) said they always grew celery when he was a kid and kept it in the root cellar for winter (central Nebraska). Mine did grow fairly well and stalks about 8 inches but tons of leaves. It was quite bitter tasting raw but chopped and cooked in soups, etc. it provided a very nice flavor. I've never seen plants again at any of the plant shops. I requested we try to order it for our plant store but no wholesalers even carried it. Think I will ask my favorite local greenhouse to grow plants next season. Piegirl

[Tracydr]

I've started a bunch under lights now. Doing well so far. Several different varieties.

[Hastings]

Why does celery need so much deep soil to be successful? And what happens if you DON'T blanch celery and leave it to the sunlight? I'm experimenting with 52-70 Tall Utah Celery this year. Started the seeds indoors middle of February.

[RebelRidin]

I grew celery several years ago (zone 7) from transplants I grew, starting the first week in January. It took a long time to germinate and get transplants ready. Peppers have nothing on celery in that department. I had read it liked it cool so it got the shadier, wetter side along a garden fence and I kept it irrigated regularly.

I know that a traditional method of cultivating involves growing it in trenches and back filling as it grows. That would require a deeper soil and something like that is probably needed to get taller stalks. Another method I read about described growing it between a pair of boards, effectively serving as the trench. I strawed it heavily and got some stalks but a good bit thinner than the commercially grown.

It was a good experience but the big fat crunchable stalks were missed. It did produced tons of foliage and small stalks though and smell terrific. We cut it in large handfuls, chopped and added to salads and cooked dishes. Toward the fall I cut and dried a good bit. It is actually a bienniel so I left a few plants for early use as fresh seasoning the next spring.

It made a great herb for me but I wouldn't have planted a whole 40 ft row for that.

[kath]

I'm not sure about deep soil- I've grown it both in the ground and in 7" raised beds that had little soil amending below that level; we had equally good plants from each. Celery is a heavy feeder and requires lots of water to do well- plants can be small, tough and stringy otherwise. Blanching hasn't worked for me as slugs and snails loved the moist, shady protection provided by the methods I tried, so I've found that some varieties produce paler stalks than others without blanching. I use the darker, stronger-tasting outer stalks for cooking, dehydrating, adding to egg/tuna salad, etc. and keep the paler inner stalks for fresh munching. So far, Ventura (Fedco) has been the winner for us, followed by Victoria (Thompson & Morgan). When it's good, it's really, really good.

Since I don't care for the stalks I grow Cutting Celery, and have great luck with it. I grow it in cinder blocks-it stays green all winter here in WA, and every year I divide it in the spring and give it to friends. It is great in salads, soups, and garnishes, etc.

[Hastings]

We wanted to experiement with celery to see if it could be done (successfully) in our climate. I do have seeds for cutting celery also. I recently became aware of celeriac, but I've done all of my seed ordering for this year, so I'll have to wait until next year to experiment with that vegetable. I've been told though, that once you grow your own celery, you never go back. So, I had to try it.

[rnewste]

Shannon,

I would recommend either Utah Tall, or Tango Celery:



It tastes great grown as is. Very hardy - survived our (mild) Winter here in N. California - and is quite disease free.

Every time I go out on the deck I am hit with the pungent aroma of the Celery.

Raybo

[Hastings]

Thank you for the picture, Ray! This gives me a really good idea on how close to plant these little guys together. They are SUCH slow growers! We're thinking that we'll start them just after Christmas next year instead of the middle of February.

[Tracydr]

How do you blanch? Mine is a little shorter than Raybos now but I want to try blanching a few stalks when they get tall enough.

[rnewste]

Tracy,

The Tango variety do not require blanching. That is why I really like it.

Raybo