Cultivation of celery: How to harvest celeriac and co

Celery is healthy, rich in vitamins and in the kitchen versatile. The main celery (Apium graveolens) is grown in the garden. To get a good harvest, there are a few things to consider when growing celery.

Different types

The following three types of celery are mainly grown in the home garden:

Celeriac (Apium graveolens rapaceum)

• Tuber consisting of a thickened root and sprout part
• also known as celery root
• very nutritious
• Above-ground leaves are also edible
• Use as soup greens in stews

The nutritious tuber is known to "wake up tired men", but whether this is true... who knows, if you are growing celery yourself, just give it a try.

Celery (Apium graveolens dulce)

• also known as celery or celery
• Tuber only very small
• is not used
• but strong, fleshy leaf stalks
• very mild aroma
• you eat almost exclusively raw

Cut celery (Apium graveolens secalinum)

• no tuber
• Foliage similar to parsley
• very aromatic
• Use as a condiment in soups, sauces, salads
• suitable for balcony boxes

Tip: The finely chopped celery leaves, mixed with salt, stays fresh for a long time and is good for seasoning both soups and sauces.

Growing in the house

Regardless of the type of celery, it must be brought out in front of the house on the windowsill or in the cold frame. The best time to do this is at the beginning of March in the house or in April in the cold frame. Sowing can be done indoors in small pots or a germination box. It should be noted that the celery, regardless of whether celeriac, celery or celery is a light germ. You must not cover the seed with soil after sowing.

The cultivation process is as follows:

• Fill the pots / germination box with potting soil
• Sow seeds, press lightly 
• water only a little
• set up brightly at 16 to 20 degrees
• If necessary, cover pots with foil or glass
• economical watering
• if the first seedlings are visible, remove the foil / glass or cover from the seed box
• spend in a cooler place
• not below 15 degrees
• Prick out when there are two or three leaves

Six to eight weeks after sowing, the young plants can then be moved into the garden. Direct sowing outdoors in June is also possible. However, the quality and yields are then significantly lower than with a culture with early young plants.

Tip: It is important during cultivation that the temperature does not drop below 15 degrees, the soil does not dry out and there is enough light. Otherwise it can quickly happen that the seedlings shoot.

Off to the field

When growing celery, or rather to move the sensitive young plants outdoors, the timing is good. Celery is very sensitive to cold. Therefore, planting out should not be done before the ice saints in mid-May. If the temperature is still too cool, the plants tend to shoot quickly. Therefore, planting in early June would be optimal. This reduces the risk of premature shooting. If you ensure an adequate supply of water and nutrients, the tuber size will not decrease either. Cultivation in the garden takes place in rows in the bed. Please note:

• Distance between rows 40 cm
• Plant spacing within the row 35 to 40 cm
• in the case of cut celery, 20 cm is sufficient within the row
• do not plant too deep
• The heart of the plant must be above the ground
• if necessary, cover with protective fleece for the first few days

Note: The planting depth is particularly important with celeriac. If you set it too deep, it can happen that no tuber forms or that it is deformed.

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Location and soil

Choose the location well, because the development and growth of the plants depends on it. Apium graveolens loves a sunny place. It can also manage well in partial shade, but it does best in the sun. Prepare the soil well before planting. It would be ideal to work under rotted manure when digging up in autumn. However, the soil can still be prepared with compost in mid-April before celery is grown.

Furthermore, the celery makes the following demands on the soil:

• pH 6.5 to 7.5
• loose structure
• possibly loosen up with sand
• profound, rich in humus and nutrients
• no waterlogging
• Celery prefers heavy, humus rich, moist soils
• Celeriac loves heavy clay soils with a high humus content
• Cut celery needs humus rich, moisture-retaining soils

It is important that a crop rotation is observed when growing celery. It should only be planted in the same place every four years. Since these are heavy consumers, the soil would otherwise be too depleted.

tip: Mixed cultivation of celery has also proven its worth. Tomatoes, cauliflower and kohlrabi are ideal for this.

Proper care of celery

Before you can start harvesting, you need good care. Only then can a rich harvest be guaranteed. The maintenance measures include:

• Regular, careful loosening and ventilation by hoeing
• keep weed-free
• Stop chopping celeriac from July
• are shallow roots
• regular watering
• Avoid waterlogging
• Great water demand for harvest at the end of July / beginning of August to October
• then watering of 15 liters per square meter
• from June weekly administration of herbal manure such as comfrey or nettle manure
• Now and then it is also possible to pour with salty cooking water or
• Dissolve 1 tablespoon of sea salt in 3 liters of water
• sufficient for 15 plants
• Salt water promotes light color of the tuber
• fertilize twice in summer and autumn
• Use of potash and nitrogen fertilizers
• Potash fertilizer promotes tuber formation

To encourage good growth and large bulbs in celeriac, remove the soil in the top third when the tuber is two to three centimeters tall.

Tip: To achieve a milder taste in celery, it is bleached when the stems are 2 cm wide. Simply remove the outer leaves and wrap the rest of them with black foil or corrugated cardboard 30 cm high, the tufts of leaves must be visible. Harvest after 2 to 3 weeks.

Harvest and storage of celery

Celery does not tolerate temperatures below -3 degrees, mainly celery root. Therefore, the harvest should be done before the first frost. Only the celery is less sensitive to cold. In mild winters it can stay in the bed and always freshly harvested taking into account the following:

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celery root

• Harvest from a diameter of 5 cm
• is usually harvested in October
• Carefully lift out the bulb with a digging fork
• Cut off foliage
• Just tap the earth
• Do not wash
• otherwise the durability will be reduced
• Can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks
• store in the basement in boxes with damp sand or peat
• Tubers must not touch
• can also be peeled and frozen
• Mix finely chopped in a ratio of 1: 1 with salt
• keep in sealed jars

Celery

• Harvest from mid-August
• Best taste after the first frost
• Twist stems individually outwards or inwards or
• Cut off completely above the tuber
• freeze possible

Celery

• from July
• Cut 2 to 3 cm above the ground
• sprouts again after 2 to 3 weeks
• Harvest possible until autumn
• can be dried