When is celery ripe

One of my favorite ways to eat celery is as a star ingredient in this hearty winter vegetable soup from our sister site, Foodal. You can find this recipe on Foodal as well.

Tell me, have you ever harvested your own homegrown celery? Did it taste eons better than those comparatively tasteless, stringy stalks from the store? I bet so. And remember to check out these articles about growing celery in your garden next:.

See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. As a freelance writer, she contributes to several websites and blogs across the web. Pretty sure, but not totally sure. Talk about bragging rights. Simply Scrumptious Did you expect A. And this versatile?

I mean, really. Celery prefers a soil with a pH between 5. For a spring crop, start seeds 10 to 12 weeks before the last spring frost date. For a fall crop, start seeds in time to transplant seedlings 10 to 12 weeks before the first autumn frost date.

Before planting, soak seeds in warm water overnight. This will speed germination. Fill seed flats or pots with good-quality seed starting mix then gently firm it level. Press soaked seeds into seed-starting soil; to get good germination do not cover with soil. The easiest way to sow the seeds is to carefully tap the packet above the surface of the potting mix and watch carefully as the seeds fall.

Ideally you want them to fall about an inch apart. Germination should occur in about a week but it can take up to three weeks; be patient. Soon after seedlings appear, place a fluorescent grow light 3 inches above them for 16 hours a day plants need dark, too. Mist regularly. When seedlings are 2 inches tall, transplant them to individual peat pots or to deeper flats with new potting soil. In flats, set the plants at least 2 inches apart.

Harden off seedlings before transplanting by reducing water slightly and putting them outdoors for a couple of hours each day. Cold weather after planting can cause bolting. Begin acclimatizing celery to the outdoors two weeks before planting: Leave your plants outside for progressively longer each day, taking care to bring them back under cover if frost threatens.

Work organic compost into the soil prior to planting. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting. Or mix in fertilizer about one pound of per 30 square feet. Water thoroughly. Celery requires lots of water. Make sure to provide plenty of water during the entire growing season, especially during hot, dry weather.

If celery does not get enough water, the stalks will be dry and small. Add plenty of compost and mulch around the plants to retain moisture. Sidedress with a nutrient rich organic fertilizer are establishing to help to give them a boost.

Comfrey pellets are great, as are coffee grounds, tickled into the soil between plants. You could also lay a mulch of organic matter such as compost between your plants. This will keep the roots cool, help to feed your plants, and lock in that all-important soil moisture. Keep celery weeded but be careful when weeding as celery has shallow roots and could easily get distrubed. Tie growing celery stalks together to keep them from sprawling.

Start earthing up trenching varieties once the stems reach about a foot tall, banking the soil up by about three inches 8cm each time until you can hill up no more. Flea beetles Slugs and snails Earwigs To control pests, cover the plants with garden fabric row covers during the first four to six weeks of the growing season.

Harvest celery from summer and through the autumn until the first hard frosts stop growth. In milder areas celery may overwinter, producing occasional stems throughout the coldest months then picking up again in spring before finally stretching to flower.

You can harvest plants whole but cutting or picking individual stems as required will keep plants producing over a longer period. The parts of celery that are harvested are mainly the stalks, which will be above ground.

Pick the stalks whenever you want. Young celery is as good as the mature product. Harvest stalks from the outside in. You may begin harvesting when stalks are about 8 inches tall.

Celery can be kept in the garden for up to a month if soil is built up around it to maintain an ideal temperature. Celery will tolerate a light frost, but not consecutive frosts. Tip: The darker the stalks become, the more nutrients they will contain. Texture changes with color; dark green stalks will be tougher. Keep celery in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Celery stores really well; you can keep it for many weeks with no trouble. Will only reach 18 inches tall. Celery stalks can be frozen. Cut the stalks into half-inch pieces and store in freezer-grade bags. The ancient Romans believed that celery had healing powers, especially when it came to headaches. Bland or boring? You may be delighted to discover that celery has many benefits. See why celery is heathy and happening.

Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. What do you want to read next? When to Harvest Vegetables and Dwarf and Mini Vegetables for Houseplant Care Guide. Planting fairly close together like this will create a lot of shade between them and help the stems to blanch. To plant trenching varieties the trenches would need to be just over a foot 30cm apart, and around a foot 30cm deep.

Add a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer as plants are establishing to help to give them a boost. Comfrey pellets are great, as are coffee grounds, tickled into the soil between plants. You could also lay a mulch of organic matter such as compost between your plants. This will keep the roots cool, help to feed your plants, and lock in that all-important soil moisture. Start earthing up trenching varieties once the stems reach about a foot 30cm tall, banking the soil up by about three inches 8cm each time until you can hill up no more.

Celery is pretty trouble-free but watch out for slugs early on. Beer traps will tempt slugs away from young plants and the unfortunate victims can be disposed of as necessary. Harvest celery from summer and through the autumn until the first hard frosts stop growth. In milder areas celery may overwinter, producing occasional stems throughout the coldest months then picking up again in spring before finally stretching to flower.