How to grow celery

When to grow celery

Timing is important. Celery grows best in cool to warm conditions, with daytime temperatures of 12–24˚C. In warm areas, that’s autumn to early spring. In cooler areas, you can plant your celery from spring to early summer.

Planting celery

Celery likes full sun with afternoon shade and protection from strong winds. The soil needs to be rich with plenty of organic matter, but it doesn’t have to be your best drainage bed. Slow drainage can work in your favour with this marshland descendant. It also thrives in wicking beds and self-watering pots that are filled with compost-enriched soil or potting mix.

Starting celery from seed requires patience, so consider established seedlings. They will save you weeks of commitment.

How to grow celery

The secret is out… celery likes lots of water. Whenever you see your celery plants, give them a drink. Don’t ever let them dry out. They also like a feed. Once every 4–6 weeks, sprinkle organic fertiliser around the base of the plants. Celery responds well to liquid fertilising too. Apply diluted seaweed extract and fish emulsion fortnightly.

Blanching helps to lighten the colour of celery stalks and reduce bitterness. Mound soil around the base or wrap the stalks in newspaper to about 40cm high, to deny them of sunlight. This is normally done 3–4 weeks before harvesting.

It takes about 4–5 months from sowing for celery plants to reach maturity, but there’s no need to wait that long for a harvest. You can start picking outside stalks as soon as the plants are looking reasonably established.

Keep an eye out for caterpillars, which can be controlled with organic sprays such as Dipel. Aphids can also be an issue at times. Apply soap spray to keep numbers down.

Photo by iStock

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Celery