Home Vegetable Gardening: Growing Celery
January 11, 2010 • Category : Gardening
The growth of celery has been documented back to at least 30 AD. Today celery is grown for more than just food consumption, its seeds contain a volatile oil that is used in the pharmaceutical industry as well as to manufacture perfume.
However, you more than likely just want to grow some as a garnish for a salad or my favorite, buffalo wings.
Here are some steps you can take to add a successful harvest of celery to your home vegetable garden.
Start your celery indoors at least eight weeks before the last frost date in your area. I find a portable greenhouse, also called a humidity dome in some regions of the world, works well for best germination results. They cost less than $8 at your local home or garden center.
When the temperatures outdoors remain above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, you are ready to move your celery plants to the outdoors. Because celery has a small and shallow root system, a constant supply of good compost and decomposed organic matter will go a long way to a better harvest.
Utilizing a pH soil tester available for less than $5 from many home or garden centers, keep your soil's pH level in the neutral 6.0 to 7.0 range.
Space out your celery plants at least eight inches from one another, in an area that receives full sun with very little shade.
Celery requires a lot of water, so make sure you water often and for long periods of time. Watering should be even. Make sure you are not giving one area more water than another.
You can begin harvesting the celery when it reaches a size that best suits you. Simply cut the celery at the soil level. For better and tastier results water your celery one day prior to harvesting. This will help retain the flavor.
Celery makes a good companion plant to pretty much everything with the exception of carrots, parsley and parsnips. Try not to follow lettuce in a plant rotation.
By:
M.C. Podlesny
About the Author
Mike is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A Guide to Vegetable Gardening for the Rest of Us, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and where ever gardening books are sold. For more vegetable gardening advice, Mike can be reached at his website: .
