Is It Difficult to Grow Celery?

Although celery is often thought to be a difficult vegetable to grow, with the right information it can be a lot easier than many people think. Finding out about different growing methods and varieties of plant can go a long way towards successful growing. Good soil preparation and keeping the plant well tended to during the growing cycle will make it a lot easier to grow celery successfully.

These days, modern varieties do not need to be blanched by adding new soil as they used to in the past. This means a lot less work than it used to. Some gardeners prefer to do things the traditional way, and those varieties are still available if required. It is best to check the breed when purchasing the seeds or seedlings in order to know whether that step is necessary or not.

With the older varieties, they are usually planted in trenches 1 meter deep and approximately 30 centimeters wide. Turn the soil well and remove all the stones, then add compost to the soil before returning it into the trench. When more than one row is being planted then place the rows about 1 meter apart. The top soil should be about 15 centimeters of earth only, and if seedlings are being used then there should be about 30 centimeters between each one.

Seedlings are much easier to use than seeds as this method can save much work overall. Between March and April is the best time to plant seeds, or between May and June for seedlings. If using seeds keep in mind that they are very small so they will need to be separated at a later point so that they are not too close together.

Choosing a modern breed will avoid many of the pitfalls of the traditional variety. It is not necessary to add soil to blanch this type of plant. For this reason, this is the far more popular method nowadays. They can also be planted in pots or trays and are much easier to grow than the blanching type.

Whichever method is chosen, the soil should be well broken up, large stones removed and manure or compost mixed in. Some gardeners report that crops can suffer from slugs and celery fly if they are not looked after well. Slug repellent is a popular way to keep slugs away and an organic type can be used in order to avoid harsh chemicals.

As with most plants, keeping them watered regularly and weed free will ensure that the vegetables will have the potential to grow well. They do need plenty of sunlight, a little shade won’t hurt them and in the early days under glass will be very beneficial to them. Harvest time is around August and they can be picked carefully by using a fork, before the ground starts to frost in late fall.

Finding out how to grow celery can be a very rewarding pastime. Most of the difficulties that some gardeners perceive can easily be avoided with a little knowledge. As with all gardening, it is sometimes a case of trial and error and finding out what works best in different climates and conditions. When the celery is ready to eat, it is often used in soups or in salads and it is a very healthy addition to any meal.

Susan writes on home gardening topics, usually fruit and vegetable gardening. For more on how to grow celery or growing celery, read these 2 related articles.