Some gardeners are hesitant to try celery and I understand why. It needs a long time to grow—up to 4 months of mostly cool weather. Celery also demands steady water and fertilizer because its root system is near the surface. But if your soil holds water well and has plenty of organic matter in it, you’re in good shape, especially if you plant early and harvest early.
Because celery takes such a long time to grow, start the seeds indoors early. Celery seeds are slow to germinate, so you can soak them overnight to speed the process. Plant them indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the average last frost date.
To transplant celery, work the soil, mix in the fertilizer (about 1 cup of 5-10-10 per 10 feet of row), and dig a trench 4 to 5 inches deep. Plant the celery in the bottom of the trench, spacing the plants 8 to 10 inches apart, and set them half an inch deeper than they were in their pots. As the plants grow, fill in the trench a little with sand, soil, mulch or compost. This blanches the lower part of the stalks and keeps the roots cool and closer to water, which celery plants like.
Give the plants a good dose of water regularly. This, plus a side- dressing of 5-10-10, will keep the plants growing smoothly.
When celery runs low on water or slows down its growth for any reason, the stalks will get tough and the flavor will be strong.
I harvest my first stalks when they get big enough to eat; they taste best at this stage. I take the largest outside stalks. The growing center of the plant will produce new ones. I’d rather have smaller stalks that taste good than big ones that are so strong you can only chop them into soups or spaghetti sauce.
Blanch celery by hilling it
I’ve spent a lot of time blanching celery with milk cartons or boards. Frankly, it doesn’t work too well. Blanching is supposed to produce milder tasting celery by shutting out the sunlight, but with standard methods it has never altered the flavor very much. In fact, blanching with milk cartons can cause problems—some stalks may rot because the air flow around them is cut down so much.
I like to hill the plants by bringing loose soil 4 or 5 inches up the stalks. It’s easier than fussing with boards and the plants don’t mind it. When I pull up the celery I get plenty of good-tasting stalks.
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