How to Grow Celery

Celery is a great vegetable.  In my opinion anyway.  Celery adds wonderful flavor to soups, stews and celery tastes great raw with some peanut butter on it.  The best part is that you can grow your own celery right at home.  Celery will take some time and little more work than most vegetables, but the satisfaction you will get from growing your own celery will be tremendous.

Celery seeds are very and I mean VERY small.  In fact, celery seeds are so small, it is impossible to plant a single celery seed.  More on that in a moment.  I would highly recommend that you start your celery seeds indoors for a couple of reasons.

First, celery takes a long time to grow to maturity and if you have a short growing season you will never be able to grow celery by direct sowing outdoors.  Second, because celery seeds are so small, you can take a small pinch, plant them in your starter pot, and as they germinate and grow, you can thin them back by using a pair of scissors to “thin the herd” so to speak.  With your celery in individual pots, it makes that process a bit easier.

When sowing your seeds, sprinkle them on top of the soil in your starter pots and then lightly (I emphasize lightly) cover them with some more soil.  You can expect your celery seeds to germinate in 7 to 10 days.  You will do much better if you use a humidity dome, cloche, etc.

As a side note, I would also recommend that you start your celery seeds indoors about ten weeks prior to the last frost in your area.  That will help you get a jump start.  Believe me, it will be well worth it.

Once your seeds are germinated and they are ready to move outdoors, choose a location that receives full sun, celery, however, will do well in light shade.  Space out your celery starts about eight to twelve inches.  Celery grows best in soil where the pH level is 6.0 to 7.0.  Be sure to take a reading of your soil at the beginning of every gardening season so you can adjust that level as needed.

Fertilize your celery bed throughout the season.  Your celery will need plenty of nutrients to grow and thrive.  Fish emulsion is a great fertilizer to use, but you can also use your finished compost if you are fortunate enough to have the room for a compost pile.

Your celery is ready to harvest when the stalks are long enough to your suiting.  Usually takes anywhere from 130 to 180 days.  Of course that depends on the variety that you choose to go with.