Celery is a vegetable of Mediterranean origin, it is well known for its low-calorie content, its help in reducing body weight and cholesterol levels. It also contains vitamin A and K, potassium, and antioxidants. Learn how to grow celery, its care, and properties.
Celery is one of the main vegetables to contain pesticide residues. This is only one reason why we should eat organic celery and the best way to do this is to grow it at home.
Sowing Celery
It is sown in spring and requires deep, fertile, and very moist soil. But keep in mind that excess water is not good for the plant, you must avoid the formation of mud or puddles in the soil where you are going to plant. It is recommended to incorporate compost or manure into the place of planting.
It can grow in half shade (at least 4 hours of light).
We fill a box with compost and soak it in water. The seeds are placed on it, spread out with little density, and another thin layer of compost is added on top of the seeds. The boxes are kept inside, at a temperature of 60.8°F (16 °C), covered with a glass or with newspaper. The compost must be always wet, it is best to water it with a sprinkler if you have one.
When the first pair of leaves appear, take the plants out of the box and take them to another box full of compost (to give them more space) where they are carefully placed about 2” (5 cm) apart. The ideal is to leave the boxes a few hours of the day outside the house or greenhouse. Do not forget that the small plants should always be moist.
When we are sure that there will be no more frost, we can transplant the celery outside. Plant them in trenches 12” (30 cm) apart from each other. The trench should be about 15” (38 cm) wide and 12” (30 cm) deep. If you plant more than one trench, you must leave a good space between them.
How to Grow Celery: Care
Celery is not a lover of the sun, so it should be planted in a place that does not reach much. It tolerates perfectly shady places, but like almost all plants, it needs some hours of direct light to grow.
The plant needs to have constant moisture, so it must be watered before the soil dries out. This will depend on the season, in summer it must be watered more than in spring. It will surely be one of the plants that you water the most in the garden.
Harvest Celery
The celery is ready to be harvested in about 120 days.
Celery plants are harvested as needed. Ideally, they should be eaten fresh. If you want them to taste better, you have to wait for a frost to pass.
How Long Will Celery Last in the Fridge
Celery can be kept in the refrigerator for approximately 15 to 20 days without problem.
How to Grow Celery: Tips
Place mulch around the plant, this way the humidity will be kept in the soil.
Keep the soil free of weeds, this will avoid competition between plants and possible habitat for pests.
Remove old leaves, this will encourage growth.
Learn more about How to Grow Celery from a Stalk.
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