How To Grow Celery From Seeds

History of Celery 

C(caps)elery (Apium graveolens) is a plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery have been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for more than 3,000 years. It is high in vitamins B1 and B6, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, folic acid, potassium, and antioxidants. Eating celery will reduce high blood pressure risks, relief arthritis pain and suppress cancer cells growth. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves.  It has been grown as a food crop for thousands of years. It has also had many other uses dating back to ancient times, including medicine. Celery is a vegetable that is popular with the health conscious. Celery stalks are almost absent of calories, yet contains important vitamins and minerals. Celery has a very mild flavor. Fresh garden grown celery usually has a stronger, pleasant flavor. The mild taste is what makes celery stalks such a great tool for dipping into your favorite dip, salad dressing, or sauce. It also adds a little crunch to recipes.

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How To Grow Celery 

Growing celery can be a challenge, as long as the soil and water requirements are met, you can grow celery so tender and sweet, you will never buy it at the market again!

Celery need lots of moisture and fertile soil, as well as some sunshine each day. It does best in cool climates. Celery takes a while to grow, so you’ll need to start planting your celery seeds indoors before transplanting them outdoors. Growing organic celery is quite easy if you understand its specific needs. Here are my tips from starting the seeds indoors, transplanting the seedlings, growing, and harvesting fresh celery!

Celery needs:

• An extremely long growing season, maturing in roughly 120 days, allowing generally for one crop per year. The plant will not tolerate high heat.
• Rich, fertile soil with plenty of organic matter mixed in. I always add a well aged chicken manure to the soil before planting and as the crop is a big feeder, the plant needs to be fertilized during its growth period.
• A constant water supply and the soil must stay moised at all times. Celery requires lots of water. Provide the plant plenty of water during the entire growing season.
• Protection from hot sun and high temperatures. 

Growing Celery From Seed Indoors

Celery plant has such a long maturity time, so you need to start celery seeds indoors at least eight to 10 weeks before the last frost date for your area. The seeds are very tiny. They germinate best if you plant them just below the surface of the soil, or even simply pressed into the surface of the soil and kept moist. If you plant them too deeply, the seeds will use up all of their energy trying to reach the surface of the soil, and will die. Celery takes up to three weeks to germinate. Just be sure to keep seed trays in a warm area where the temperature does not fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, If the seeds receive a cold chill, they will fail to germinate. Celery seeds need consistent light watering during germination and early emergence to keep the growing environment consistently moist.

You have to Keep your celery seedlings moist by spritzing them with a water bottle every time you see the surface of the soil drying out. If the soil gets completely dry, your seedlings will not survive.

Watch How to Grow Celery Indoors Video

 Planting Celery Seedlings in The Garden 

When your celery seedlings have reached 8 to 10 cm in height, the seedlings can be hardened off in a cold frame or sheltered outdoors location and when the weather conditions are good, you can plant them into their final location in your garden.

You can plant your celery into your garden once the temperatures outside are consistently above 50 F. {10 C.}. Don’t plant it out too early, as celery is very temperature sensitive, or you will kill or weaken your celery plant.

 Soil Preparation 

Dig the soil before planting and remove stones, weeds and add plenty of well-rotted manure. 

You can make a hole deep and wide enough to hold the plant. Set the seedling into the hole and gently fill in and tamp the surrounding soil so all the leaves and stalks are above the soil.  Always plant your celery seedlings with the crown of each plant at ground level!

Leave a space of 25 to 30 cm between plants. Water your celery seedlings deeply after planting them to help prevent transplant shock. Keep the plants evenly moist until they show new growth, and then water them as needed. 

Watch How To Plant Celery Seedlings In The garden Video

Celery Common Problems 

Leaf spot and blight are the most common problems of celery. Splitting of stalks is a result of dry weather and little moisture. Blights occur most frequently in wet weather and should be treated early with fungicide. 

Watering your salary regularly and frequently is the key to producing a good crop. You have to keep the plants weed free, as weeds will compete for nutrients and moisture. Mulch heavily around your celery plants with organic compost.  As this will help to keep the soil cool, prevents moisture loss and creates a stable, long-lasting soil for your garden.

Celery plants are heavy feeders that require rich soil, so you have to fertilize frequently. To keep your celery plants growing well, fertilize with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer every few weeks from planting to harvest.

Blanching Celery 

Early growers found that the naturally strong flavors could be diminished if grown in cooler conditions and also if blanched. Blanching is the practice of pushing dirt up around the base of the stalks to prevent sunlight from turning the stalks green. When the plants begin to grow big, you should mound the soil around their bases to keep them upright and help them to blanch. Never mound the soil more than a third of the way up the plant. Remember that if any soil gets into the center of the celery plants can cause the plant to rot, and it will be very difficult to remove without breaking the stalks apart.

Amazing Benefits of Celery 

Celery is high in Vitamins B1 and B6, vitamin C, calcium, fiber, folic acid, and potassium. Celery is an excellent source of antioxidants and beneficial enzymes, in addition to vital vitamins and minerals. Eating celery will reduce high blood pressure risks, relief arthritis pain and suppress cancer cells growth. 

Harvesting Celery 

You can begin to harvest the stalks when they reach 8 inches (20 cm) in height. Always harvest from the outside stalks and work inward. As this will allow the innermost stalks to continue to mature. The longer the celery grows, and darker it becomes, the richer in antioxidants and more nutritious it will be. 

Harvesting Celery Seed 

As, celery is a biennial plant. It won’t flower until the second year, and you can’t start harvesting celery seeds until the plant make flowers. In the second year, the central stalk will thicken, and an umbel shaped flower, will appear. This umbel is created out of numerous tiny florets on short stems. Each floret is a tiny white flower that collectively creates a burst of stars. You can wait until the seeds dry and turn brown in color before harvesting them. Simply cut the blooms carefully and shake the seed into a paper bag and store them in a cool, dark location.

Celery is known as being a difficult plant to grow. But with these step by step methods of growing it, hopefully you can find good success with it and enjoy harvesting as much celery as you’d like. So if you are looking for all the healthy vitamins and minerals that celery can provide, give it a try in your own garden!

Celery seeds are available ➡️HERE

Happy gardening!

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