How to Take Care of a Celery Plant

Celery plants have a well-deserved reputation for being difficult to grow. A celery plant must be cared for properly during its five-month growing phase in order to reach maturity and produce an edible plant. Improper care will prevent the plant from growing well and can lead to a tough, stringy stalk that is virtually inedible. Factors to take into consideration when caring for celery include germination, fertilization, watering schedule and the importance of weed removal. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

• Celery seed
• Starter containers--small pots or flats
• Potting soil
• All-purpose fertilizer
• Compost
• Mulch

Instructions

1. Determine the best time of year to begin growing celery plants based on the climate where you live. Celery plants require five months of cool growing conditions to mature properly and should be started from seed indoors approximately 10 to 12 weeks before the spring season's last frost. In temperate climates, this means that celery plants should be ready to be transferred to the soil between mid-March and early April. If you live in a climate that has a mild autumn, celery seeds can be planted directly in the soil in the middle of summer. In subtropical areas such as south Florida, celery seeds can be planted outside starting in October for winter or spring harvest.

2. Plant the celery seeds indoors in small containers or flats using potting soil with a small amount of all-purpose fertilizer. Because celery seeds are so small, it is recommended that gardeners combine the celery seeds with sand and sprinkle the mixture evenly along the top of the growing soil. With the seeds in place, add another small layer of soil on top of the seeds. Celery seeds grow best when sowed just beneath the surface, so it is important not to bury the seeds too deeply. Sow four or five seeds per container.

3. Transfer the seedlings to individual containers or thin the seedlings when they reach approximately two inches in height. Thinning the seedlings refers to the process of giving the strong, healthy plants room and nutrients to grow by removing the smaller plants from the soil.

4. Continue to care for the seedlings indoors until the outdoor weather conditions are ideal. Water regularly without letting the soil get sodden.

5. Select a planting site that gets plenty of sunshine and has well-drained soil. In areas that may have hot periods during the summer, try to select a site that will get some shade during the hottest part of the afternoon. Once the site has been selected, till the soil in the garden bed to loosen it to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. Once the soil is loose, add two to four inches of compost to the planting site to increase the nutrient level of the soil.

6. Plant celery plants in the prepared garden bed, making sure that there is 8 to 10 inches of space between individual plants. If planting multiple rows of celery plants, there should be at least 10 inches between each row of plants.

7. Apply a thick layer of mulch around the celery plants immediately after planting and give the plants plenty of water. Celery plants require moist soil and must be watered frequently throughout the growing season. They also require a high level of nutrients, so it is a good idea to fertilize the plants with nutrient-rich compost a few times during the growing season.

8. Keep the garden beds surrounding the celery plants free from weeds by weeding your garden regularly. Weeds can steal the nutrients from the soil that are necessary to the health of your celery plants.

9. Harvest celery prior to the ground freezing, though it can tolerate a few mild frosts. Celery stalks are ready for harvest when they reach approximately 6 to 8 inches in height, although they may be allowed to reach 12 inches. If only some of the stalks are being removed from the celery plant, make sure to harvest the outer stalks first so that the inner stalks have a chance to grow larger and mature.

Tips & Warnings

• Celery prefers a soil pH between 5.8 and 7.0, so it is wise to amend the soil in your celery plot accordingly if the pH falls outside of this range.

• To blanch your celery so that it is lighter in color and less bitter, build up mulch around the stalks or tie brown paper around them about a month before you plan to harvest them.