Celery - how easy???

[1066]

Hi
how easy is celery to grow? I was thinking about getting a self blanching variety.
I love celery but find it hard to get good, tasty ones in the shops (those watery things imported from Israel are pretty yuck).

So on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the hardest, would you say celery is hard to grow?

thanks - in ever hopefulness that the answers will be 1 to 5     

1066

[little pud]

hi 1066, i have some growing up at my plot, it came from the old boy next to me so i dont know what variety it is but is growing good, so i would say at least a 3. 

[1066]

ooooo thats good news 

I also love the leaves of celery for use in cooking and the ones you get in the shops hardly have any 

[saddad]

If you are happy to use the leaves and make soup then I'd agree with a three.. if you want long stems then we are looking at an eight or nine.. 

[thifasmom]

ditto what saddad said 

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

you can get celery that just forms leaves, which is dead easy T&M do it, Just went and tasted it -it''s horrible  Par-cel is a much nicer leaf, though i've not got this year

Proper celery is very difficult for us  - guess you need the right soil. lots of moisture and rich

[macmac]

Grew celery last year (and this) dead easy tasted fab but unfortunately the slugs thought so too :(Have tried all sorts of barriers this year so we'll see

[Trevor_D]

It's dead easy to grow, but - as Saddad said - only if you want celery leaves. For long stalks I'd say that on  scale of 1 to 10 it comes in at 11 or 12! It needs masses of muck (I gave mine a barrow-load of horse manure.) and more water than you can imagine. (I only watered mine every couple of days, and obviously no-where near enough each time.)

If you really love it - I just "quite like" it - and are prepared to spend the time and effort, then regard it as a challenge and go for it!

[TheEssexYorkshireman]

I grew it last year and agree with the 11/12 if you want nice thick, juicy, crisp long stems. I was successful if producing lots of plants with loads of small thin stems (no hearts whatsoever!) and they were terribly stringy .. didn't bother this year.

TEYman

[1066]

Thanks for the replies everyone!
So for leaves its going to be ok to easy
And for nice crispy stalks a real challenge.

Well bring on the challenge I say    Besides if I don't get the nice stalks at a 1st attempt at least I'll have the leaves   .....

And  thanks for the tips about the muck. Watering will be my biggest issue, so I'll have to look at how to prepare that bed so that I get the best possible set up.

Any varieties to recommend? Looking at More Veg's site - I want the 1 in the picture 
http://www.moreveg.co.uk/shop/article_CELTA/Celery-Tall-Utah-Organically-sourced.html?shop_param=cid%3D17%26aid%3DCELTA%26


Thanks again

1066

[manicscousers]

if you buy the plants from saddad's june open day, a 4, plant in a trench in well manured soil and have a summer like we've just had..they like loads of water..just dug our first...loads of leaves chopped and frozen for cooking, plus all the outer stems..inside, lovely and white, taste really good and not stringy 

[1066]

Those sound great Manics, shame I'm not closer to Derby !
Do you know the variety Or can Saddad remember??

1066

[manicscousers]

I've no idea, it just said celery..the only other one I've grown was golden self blanching, stringy only good for soups and stews 

[saddad]

Sadly it was given to me to prick out without a name... I can ask him again... 

[1066]

Sadly it was given to me to prick out without a name... I can ask him again... 

That would be much appreciated - Manics has done such a good sales pitch 

[small]

I'm growing 'Spartan' golden self-blanching for the first time.  I started them in March, put in loads of muck and have kept them really watered, but so far they are looking small and stringy.  Can anyone tell me how long they will continue growing? I want celery mainly for stews, but even so far I'm finding them difficult. 7 or 8, I'd say.

[manicscousers]

there you go, bits of holes her and there but soon cut off

[1066]

looking good manics!
what was that thread on here a while ago about "eating the holes"   

[manicscousers]

wash 'em and cook 'em 

[tim]

Forget the 'difficulty' - what about continuity?

You plant self- blanching in a block - that means at leats 16 - so how many sticks do you eat in a week?

When we grew it, it was for the WI market so it went down in bundles.

As to ease - so long as well watered - & with a block, that means twice as much as you would think - no problem. But all at once.