Cord, stick and cut celery are widespread. We give tips and tricks on how to grow celery in your own garden.

Grow celery best protected indoors [Image: AnEduard/ Shutterstock.com]

The common celery (Apium graveolens) is probably the most famous representative of the celery genus (Apium) in our gardens. There are three different variations in which real celery can be grown:

  • Celery (Apium graveolens rapaceum)
    Forms a tuber, i.e. a thickened part of the root and the shoot. The above-ground green can also be used.
  • Celery (Apium graveolens dulce)
    The tuber is distinct smaller, but the leaves are stronger than those of celeriac. The aroma of the celery is slightly medium.
  • Celery Cut (Apium graveolens secalinum)
    The cut celery forms the Don't bud at all. The foliage is finer than that of celery and is reminiscent of parsley.
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You can read more about the differences between tuber, cut and celery here. In the following you will now learn which characteristics of the individual variations of real celery should be considered in your own garden.

Growing real celery: step by step

1. Location: Celery is usually grown in beds. Cultivation in a pot is of course possible, but this is a bit difficult, especially with celeriac. In addition, celery can take up a lot of space and needs to be watered much more frequently in the pot. The place in the bed should be chosen for the real celery in a sunny location - this way optimal growth is achieved. But the penumbra is also okay as a location for the celery. The floors canbe a little heavier and wetter. However, they should not tend to waterlogging and a loose structure is also important for the proper development of the celeriac bulb. If in doubt, this can be achieved by working in sand or organic material. Instead, you can also use our Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil.

2. Propagation: Real celery is propagated by sowing. This should be done in March, but indoors, as the small plants are very sensitive to frost. The seeds of the light germinator must not be covered with substrate to protect them from drying out. Instead, a transparent film can be stretched over the seed tray, which is removed as soon as the first seedlings appear.
The early seedlings can be planted out in the bed from mid-May after the ice saints. There is no longer any risk of the celery suffering from frost damage. A generous distance of about 40 x 40 cm should be chosen. When planting out, especially the celeriac, make sure that the plant is not planted too deep, otherwise the formation of the tuber will be more difficult.

The small celery plants are still sensitive to frost and should therefore be preferred indoors

3. Watering and fertilizing: Celery is very thirsty and has to be watered regularly if the drought persists, even when growing in the bed. However, the dreaded waterlogging should be avoided in order to prevent the potentially deadly infestation with root fungi. If the bed is prepared in the spring three to four weeks before planting the celery - i.e. mid-April - and organic materials such as compost are incorporated, the most basic supply of nutrients is ensured. Occasionally, however, you can use a fertiliser, for example our Plantura organic tomato fertiliser, in summer to encourage the growth of the celery.

4. Cultivate: The different varieties of true celery have different needs. So it is beneficial for the celeriac if the soil in the upper part of the tuber is removed as soon as it has reached a diameter of two to three centimetres. If the lower part of the celery shoot is darkened with newspaper, for example, from mid-September onwards, you can harvest the blanched celery with its refined taste in October. Celery is very self-intolerant and thus reduces its own growth in group plantings. If celery is planted in combination with kohlrabi,can this be avoided. In addition, weeds must of course be regularly weeded in the bed so that too many resources are not stolen from the celery.

5. Harvesting: The celeriac bulb should be at least 5 cm in diameter. The frost-sensitive storage organ should be harvested in October at the latest, before the first frosts set in. To do this, the tuber is simply pulled out of the ground by the leaves. The stick celery, on the other hand, can be harvested gradually like the cut celery. Once the rods have reached a suitable size, they can simply be cut off. The celery can also be harvested whole. It is simply cut off just above the surface of the earth and the leaves stay together.

The celeriac develops beautiful large tubers

However, the seeds of the celery can also be of interest - be it for re-sowing or as a spice. However, in order for the celery to flower, it must be overwintered. This is particularly difficult with celeriac, which is extremely sensitive to cold. Its tuber must be generously and protectively covered with sand before the first frosts. Flowering occurs in the second year and the inflorescences can be harvested as a whole in September. After drying, they can either be used for propagation in the following year or they serve as an extraordinary spice in the kitchen.

6. Storage: Of course there are different ways to preserve and preserve the variations of celery.

  • celeriac
    • do not wash after harvest
    • Several weeks in the refrigerator or cellar
    • Peel the bulbs and then freeze
    • Chop or grate the bulb and mix with s alt in a 1:1 ratio
  • Celery
    • defies cooler temperatures better and can therefore be harvested fresh from the bed throughout the winter in mild winters
    • Can be frozen, but first chop the sticks and cook for three minutes, then rinse in cold water
  • Celery
    • use fresh like parsley
    • Drying possible without major loss of aroma

Now you know all the pitfalls of the different varieties of real celery and are prepared to grow the spicy plant in your own garden.

Category:

Vegetables