How to Grow Celery

Growing celery is a challenge. It thrives where growing seasons are long, moist and cool - though most varieties won't tolerate frost. Nevertheless, the taste of fresh-from-the-garden celery so far surpasses that of the supermarket stuff that it's worth all the coddling you can give it.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Celery Plants
• Celery Seeds
• Fertilizers
• Fish Emulsions
• Floating Row Covers
• Garden Trowels
• Mulch
• Seed Flats
• Seed-starting Kits
• Seaweed Extract
• Wood Ashes

1. Choose a site that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day and has moist, rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested"). Ensure moisture retention by enriching the soil with plenty of compost or well-cured manure.

2. Sprinkle the planting area with wood ashes to increase its potassium content.

3. Buy started celery plants at a nursery. Otherwise, start seeds indoors about eight weeks before the last expected frost.

4. Harden off seedlings, then transplant them to the garden when temperatures are reliably above 50 degrees F. Don't be tempted to rush the season: Plants exposed to temperatures in the 40s F for 10 to 15 days are likely to bolt (go to seed prematurely).

5. Set plants slightly deeper than they were growing in their flats, spacing them 6 to 10 inches apart, and water with a diluted solution of fish emulsion and seaweed extract.

6. Mulch to retain moisture and deter weeds, and install floating row covers to fend off insect pests.

7. Keep the soil damp, and feed once a month with manure tea (see "How to Make Manure Tea").

8. Harvest celery as soon as it's large enough to use. Either cut off individual stems as they develop color or pull the entire plant and cut off the roots.

Tips & Warnings

• If your climate can't provide the temperature range that celery needs - daytime temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees F during the day, 60 to 65 at night - forget it. Devote the space to a less finicky veggie and buy your celery from the best produce market you can find.

[rewster92]

on 8/14/2008 When am I supposed to know if its ready to be picked or not? I picked my celery today and it was too woody, hard, and bitter. I don't know if i picked it too soon, or too late....