Garden Vegetable - Celery

Botanical Information

Starting

Notes:

Prefers a rich light moist soil with some shade in summer. Prefers a sunny location and a pH between 6.6 and 6.8 and tolerates a pH in the range 4.2 to 8.3. Plants grow best in a climate with a mean temperature in the range 61-70°F. Leaf growth is poor at higher temperatures and low temperatures can induce the plant to run to seed prematurely. Plants with 5 or more true leaves will flower following exposure to temperatures between 41-50°F for 10 days or more. Celery is commonly cultivated in many regions of the world, mainly for its edible leaf stalks. There are many named varieties and these can supply fresh stalks from late summer to spring. There are two basic types of celery. Those grown for summer and autumn harvesting are called 'self-blanching' - the stems do not need to be blanched in order to be eaten, though they are usually grown quite closely together which tends to exclude quite a bit of light. Those cultivars harvested in the winter and spring tend to have bitter-tasting stems unless these are blanched by excluding light.
A good companion for leeks, tomatoes, French beans and brassicas.

Propagation: Seed - germination can be erratic and the seed is best surface sow February in a greenhouse. The maincrop can be sown as late as mid-April. Outdoor sown seed rarely germinates satisfactorily. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks at 60°F. Plant well after any threat of frost. The seed can harbor certain diseases and is usually treated by seed companies before being sold but if you save your own seed you should make sure that only seed from healthy plants is used.