The cold weather is upon us. Or is it warm weather? I don't think I have seen such wide swings in the weather. This would be a good time to go through the seed catalogs and plan the garden. Seed companies sure seem to be in a contest to out do each other with the biggest, best and most unique varieties of everything. The good news is we gardeners get more to chose from; the bad news is there is a lot more to sift through to find what you really want.
One thing I have noticed is there are some celery varieties with shorter maturity dates. This is good news for the home gardener in Mid-Missouri. Celery likes to grow in the cooler weather, and our springs can turn hot pretty quickly. Celery can be tricky to grow in our area, but I have had a few good harvests. It is well worth the challenge.
Celery is a popular vegetable for eating raw or in recipes, but it is not often grown in the home garden. It contains important vitamins and minerals but is almost calorie free -- in fact, some say it has a negative calorie content. This means it burns more calories for your body to use it than it contains; I don't know if that is true but it sounds good. While some people complain that it has little taste, fresh garden-grown celery usually has a stronger taste.
Because a celery plant has such a long maturity time, about five months, you will need to start celery seeds indoors at least 10-12 weeks before the average last frost date, which is April 15 for our area. Celery can actually tolerate some frost. So if you are up for this challenge, you better get your seeds and other materials ready and get them started.
Look for a variety that is self-blanching as they are easier for the home gardener to grow. I have been growing a variety called Tango that has worked well for me. Celery seeds are tiny and tricky to plant. Try mixing them with sand and then sprinkling the sand/seed mix over the pots you will be starting the celery plants in. Celery seeds like to be planted shallow.
They actually need light to germinate. Once the celery seeds have sprouted and are large enough, either thin the seedlings or prick them out and put them in their own pots. Celery starts are slow growing, but you will want your plants to be about 6 inches tall at transplant time. Grow celery in the lowest area of your garden. The plants require lots of water, 1.5 inches per week. Make sure to provide plenty of water during the entire growing season, especially during hot, dry weather. If the plants do not get enough water, the stalks will be dry and stringy.
Celery plants like full sun and rich garden soil. Celery takes more nutrients than most garden plants as well as more water. Add plenty of compost and mulch around the plants to help retain moisture. You can add a general purpose fertilizer as you work the soil before planting, and fertilize regularly. Add mulch as needed to help retain soil moisture and add nutrients.
You can start harvesting outer stalks when they are 6-8 inches tall. After four or five months, the whole plant will be ready. To harvest, dig or pull up the plant and remove the root ball. The outside stalks are best used in soups or other recipes. The inner stalks are more tender and taste best uncooked.
Someone once said if you raise a good crop of celery you have won the right to consider yourself an accomplished gardener! The challenge is on.
Peter Sutter is a life-long gardening enthusiast and a participant in the MU Extension's Master Gardener program. Gardening comments and questions can be sent to [email protected]