Celery is one of those vegetables that is seldom grown in backyard gardens. It’s near impossible to find seedlings at the store, and they are finicky to start from seed. But if you have success, you will be able to grow your own crisp, delicious celery – organically. Celery you purchase from the store is one the “dirty dozen” list due to the amount of pesticide residue on it!
I have been growing celery in my garden for the past 5 years. The first year of course was hit or miss, but with continued practice, last year I had a whole 50-ft bed stuffed with celery. It was WONDERFUL!
I will share a few things I have learned over the years.
First, a few tips I want to tell you right off the bat:
- Finding celery seeds locally has been difficult. I found them once or twice, but they are definitely not part of the annual display at local stores each year. I order them. My favorite variety is Utah Tall.
- Celery seeds prefer cooler temperatures. For germination and early growth, they prefer 60F degrees at night, and up to 70/75 during the day.
- Temperatures that are too hot can cause celery to become woody and bitter.
- Celery seeds do need light to germinate, and do not need to be covered with soil.
- Celery seeds do need consistent, constant moisture. Not soaking wet, but moist (sorry if you abhor that word! lol)
- It takes a while for seeds to germinate! It can take 14-21 days.
To start your seeds 10-12 weeks or so ahead of your last frost, place your potting soil in whatever container you will be planting them in. I try to get one seed per spot, then gently water the seeds into the soil without covering them purposely. Then I set the seeds in my basement greenhouse with plastic wrap over the top to retain moisture. I will set the seeds under light
I prefer to plant them in plug trays, where they don’t have much room to grow, and transplant them to bigger containers when they are two inches tall. My reasoning for this is, celery seeds are tiny and difficult to place just one per spot. Pricking them out to transplant allows me the chance to separate or pinch off the weaker seedlings so they don’t crowd the one I want to keep. Doing this all from the same container can be tricky with an overhead view because the seedlings each grow multiple baby stalks and it can be difficult to tell them apart without the ability to lift them out of their containers. Once I transplant the one main seedling I want to keep, I still keep the seedlings indoors! They are not yet ready to go outside.
Once seedlings are transplanted, they are still kept in my basement greenhouse where the temperature is kept at their optimal temp and they are kept under lights for a long portion of the day. From here, they continue to grow until they are about 4-6 inches tall and we are nearing our final frost date.
Celery is a cool hardy plant meaning they can tolerate colder temperatures, but as babies they are still pretty picky. I like to set them out when the nighttime temperatures are not frequently lower than 40F. If the nights are still below 40F and days are no warmer than 55F on a regular basis, it may cause your celery seeds to bolt (go to seed) prematurely. Be sure to take the time to harden them off. Once the plants are mature, at the end of the season, they can tolerate light frosts well. Mulch your plants to keep the weeds down, space your transplants about 8 inches apart and plant just a bit deeper than they were growing in the pot. Celery is not the type of plant that you want to plant deep, like you would tomatoes.
Keep your plants watered regularly. A hot spell or a dry spell can cause your celery to grow hollow, bitter, and/or stringy. Around their 2nd or 3rd month outdoors, side dress with compost to give them a little boost.
Growing celery in our climate can be a gamble, because we can have some pretty hot summers. I have found that home grown celery is a gamble I am willing to take! I have grown some bitter celery, but it eats just fine in my opinion. The bitterness does give it a stronger taste, so you may choose to use less in your recipes. As you harvest, take the outer stalks and the middle will continue to grow new stalks all season long.