How to Grow Celeriac

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Rate: (3 Ratings)

You don't see celeriac much in the grocery stores - one good reason to grow this tasty, turnip-like root. Another is that this cool-season crop is much less finicky than its close relative, celery.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Celeriac Seeds
Compost Makers
Fertilizers
Garden Spades
Garden Trowels
Seed Flats
Seed-starting Kits
Seed-starting Medium
Shovels

Step1

Start celeriac seeds indoors, in individual pots or cell trays, eight weeks before the last expected frost. (Like most root vegetables, it rarely appears as starter plants in nurseries.)

Step2

Choose a site that gets full sun. Celeriac likes soil that's moist, slightly acidic (pH 5.5 to 6.5), fertile and rich in organic matter. Amend the soil with plenty of compost or well-rotted manure the fall before you plant.

Step3

Transplant seedlings to the garden when temperatures rise above 50 degrees F, spacing the plants six to eight inches apart.

Step4

Add soil or mulch to keep the roots covered as they develop, but periodically pull this covering away and prune off the small feeder roots.

Step5

Begin harvesting as soon as the root ball reaches about two inches in diameter.

Tips & Warnings

Celeriac thrives in containers; a five-gallon pot will hold several plants.
A little cold weather will topple celery, but it will only improve the flavor of celeriac by spurring the conversion of its stored starches to sugar.