Topic: Celeriac triumph!

[sawfish]

I managed it after last years disaster.

16 perfect large celeriac roots.

[littlebabybird]

looking good, well done
lbb

[isbister]

Very nice - mine look like a scruffier version - I've never grown them before, when are they ready to eat?

[Georgie]

WOW those look impressive.  I'm jealous!   :)

G x

[saddad]

Mine are nothing like that yet Stan!  :-[

[lolabelle]

they look fab my look nothing like that ..yet butv I think the munjac have been nibbling the leaves ???

[sawfish]

I think they're ready to eat fro October'ish. Maybe now. I take it you have Orkney connections Isbister?

I'm chuffed because nothing happened last year, in fact I was ready to chuck the seed tray this year till eventually they sprouted in april about a month after I sowed them in the coldframe.

[Biscombe]

Cor! I can smell em from here!  ;D they look great! I've never had success with celeriac

[isbister]

That's correct Sawfish - my mother was born in Orkney, I've got about fifty relatives there. We go visiting as often as possible - wonderful place, difficult to get to though. When we were up last Christmas we did a tour of some allotments - called keelies up there. A lot of large swedes being grown, probably the only things capable of staying in the ground when the 80mph winds are blowing.

[cornykev]

Looking good Sawfish, mine are similar size but as Isbister said a bit scruffier looking, I didn't feed mine and forgot to take the lower leaves off but have just earthed them up, I think October's about right but can be kept in the ground through until early spring weather permitting, if Georgie behaves herself I might even save her some.  ;D ;D ;D

[thifasmom]

forgot to take the lower leaves off but have just earthed them up, I think October's about right but can be kept in the ground through until early spring weather permitting,

I'm thinking of growing these next year, why do you have to take the lower leaves off and is it absolutely necessary to earth up?

[sawfish]

better to pick away the lower leaves and dont earth up. If anything scrape the soil away slightly (earth down I suppose).

At least thats what it said in my ancient gardening book and it worked for me.

[thifasmom]

better to pick away the lower leaves and dont earth up. If anything scrape the soil away slightly (earth down I suppose).

At least thats what it said in my ancient gardening book and it worked for me.

ok! but why remove the lower leaves?

[cornykev]

The lower leaves are removed to expose the stem and the three books I read says to draw up the soil around the swollen stems in early autumn to keep the flesh white.  ;D ;D ;D

[alienwithaview]

Very impressive, sawfish. To my great surprise my celeriacs have done very well, too, this year, after a rubbish (no show) last year.
Has the extremely wet weather anything to do with it? Are they swamp plants?
So far, the roots are the size of tennis balls, but I am seriously considering not to pull them until they reach the size of a football - because that's the size of celeriac we used to have when I grew up.
I had no idea you were supposed to do anything to them - I plan on just leaving them as they are.

[thifasmom]

The lower leaves are removed to expose the stem and the three books I read says to draw up the soil around the swollen stems in early autumn to keep the flesh white.  ;D ;D ;D

thanks for the explanation cornykev, but why do we need to expose the flesh?
 

I had no idea you were supposed to do anything to them - I plan on just leaving them as they are.

are yours the right colour even though you haven't done anything, gosh I'm a complete novice when it comes to this veg, i have never even eaten it or seen it on sale :-\.

[Eristic]

Are they swamp plants?

I believe they are.