Growing celery: Celeriac & Co. in the garden

Celeriac, stalks and cut celery are widespread. We give tips and tricks on how to grow celery in your own garden.

The real celery (Apium graveolens) is probably the most famous representative of the celery genus (Apium) in our gardens. There are three different variations in which real celery can be grown:

• celery root (Apiumgraveolensrapaceum)
  Forms a tuber, i.e. a thickened part of the root and the shoot. The above-ground green can also be used.
• celery (Apiumgraveolensdulce)
  The tuber is significantly smaller, but the leaves are stronger than celeriac. In the flavor is that celery something middle.
• cut celery (Apiumgraveolenssecalinum)
  The cut celery does not form the tuber at all. The foliage is finer than that of celery and is reminiscent of parsley.

More about the Differences between tuber, cut and celery

you can read here. In the following you will now learn which characteristics of the individual variations of real celery have to be considered in your own garden.

Growing real celery: step by step

1. Location: Celery is usually grown in beds. Cultivation in a pot is of course possible, but this is a bit difficult, especially with celeriac. In addition, celery can take up a lot of space and needs to be watered much more frequently in the pot. The place in the bed should be chosen for the real celery in a sunny location - this way optimal growth is achieved. But the penumbra is also okay as a location for the celery. The soils can be a bit heavier and wetter. However, they should not tend to waterlogging and a loose structure is also important for the proper development of the celeriac bulb. If in doubt, this can be achieved by working in sand or organic material. Instead, you can also go to our Plantura Organic tomato & vegetable soil To fall back on.

2. propagation: Real celery is propagated by sowing. This should be done in March, but indoors, as the small plants are very sensitive to frost. The seeds of the light germinator must not be covered with substrate to protect them from drying out. Instead, a transparent film can be stretched over the seed tray, which is removed as soon as the first seedlings appear.
The early young plants can be planted out in the bed from mid-May after the ice saints. There is no longer any risk of the celery suffering from frost damage. A generous distance of about 40 x 40 cm should be chosen. When planting out, especially the celeriac, make sure that the plant is not planted too deep, otherwise the formation of the tuber will be more difficult.

3. watering and fertilizing: Celery is very thirsty and must be watered regularly if the drought persists, even when cultivated in beds. However, the dreaded waterlogging should be avoided in order to prevent the potentially deadly infestation of root fungi. The bed is prepared in the spring three to four weeks before planting the celery - i.e. mid-April and organic materials such as compost incorporated, such is the most basic supply of nutrients secured. Occasionally, however, you can use a fertilizer in the summer, for example our Plantura Organic Tomato Fertilizer, helped and the growth of the celery is promoted.

4. Care for: The different varieties of real celery have different needs. So it is beneficial for the celeriac if the soil in the upper part of the tuber is removed as soon as it has reached a diameter of two to three centimeters. If, from mid-September, the lower part of the sprout of the celery is darkened with newspaper, for example, then you can harvest the refined taste of the celery in October. Celery is very self-intolerant and thus reduces its own growth in group plantings. If celery is planted in combination with kohlrabi, this can be avoided. In addition, weeds must of course be regularly weeded in the bed so that too many resources are not stolen from the celery.

5. To harvest: The bulb of the celeriac should be at least 5 cm in diameter. The frost-sensitive storage organ should be harvested in October at the latest, before the first frosts set in. To do this, the tuber is simply pulled out of the ground by the leaves. The stick celery, on the other hand, can be harvested gradually like the cut celery. Once the rods have reached a suitable size, they can simply be cut off. The celery can also be harvested whole. It is simply cut off just above the surface of the earth and the leaves stay together.

However, the seed of the celery can also be of interest - be it for reseeding or as a spice. However, in order for the celery to flower, it must be overwintered. This is particularly difficult with celeriac, which is extremely sensitive to cold. Its tuber must be generously and protectively covered with sand before the first frosts. Flowering occurs in the second year and the inflorescences can be harvested as a whole in September. After drying, they can either be used for propagation in the following year or they serve as an extraordinary spice in the kitchen.

6. To store: There are, of course, various ways of preserving and preserving the varieties of celery.

• celery root
  • do not wash after harvest
  • Can be stored in the fridge or cellar for several weeks
  • Peel the bulbs and then freeze them
  • Chop or grate the bulb and mix with salt in a ratio of 1:1
• celery stalk
  • defies cooler temperatures better and can therefore be harvested fresh from the bed throughout the winter during mild winters
  • You can freeze it, but first cut the sticks into small pieces and boil them for three minutes, then rinse them in cold water
• cut celery
  • best used fresh like parsley
  • Drying possible without major loss of aromas

Now you know all the pitfalls of the very different variations of real celery and are prepared to grow the spicy plant in your own garden.