Topic: Celeriac - do I bother?

[gray1720]

My celeriac was very late sprouting this year - in fact I'd given up on the seed tray and was "must chuck that out"-ing it when the seeds finally started to sprout. They got planted out anyway, and I now have little rosettes of leaves, but bu**er all under them - like little marbles.

Are they likely to swell over the winter, or should I just say sodom, and dig them in?

Adrian
   

[alkanet]

moisture, moisture, rich soil, rich soil, long season, etc etc

never worked for me, and what I got when I cooked it turned blue

[BarriedaleNick]

moisture, moisture, rich soil, rich soil, long season, etc etc

Seconded!  Not that I can grow them either but they do work for a mate on our site.

[winecap]

Took me a few years to work out how to keep them happy, but well worth trying again. To my mind its one of the best things to harvest come winter. I used to plant long rows of it and got little in return. Now I go for a dozen or so plants and pamper them. They usually get to about six inches across.

[TheEssexYorkshireman]

My first year at growing them - success! Nothing since. I keep trying and keep failing. This year I thought I'd cracked it again and they were looking healthy at about 3" across then BANG! a slug army descended and they're full of holes. Probably wont bother next year.

[vague]

Just to say, what I have started to do is when the crown of the celeriac starts to poke out of the ground I then scrape the earth around them up were the leaves start, or add extra soil.  Kind of 'earthing' them up.  I just find that this keeps the slugs off, as however much I slug pellet there are always some that borrows in an hollows them out! I haven't had any detrimental effects from doing this so far, but I just find it gives them a fighting chance during the wet weather.

[bionear2]

Never really had problems growing them. Just remember that they are naturally a bog plant, so need lots of water (mine have thrived when briefly submerged!) And remember to keep stripping them back to just a top rosette, or the base wont develop. Wonderful eaten grated with some mustard mayonnaise!

[Vinlander]

Start them early in potting compost indoors, give them good light as soon as they appear and plant them out into RICH soil when they are at least 10cm high and not before April when there's other stuff to distract the slugs. Use a barrier - the cylinder out of a 2L bottle works well - with pellets inside and out.

They transplant really well unlike other root crops (because technically they aren't of course).

Cheers.

[kGarden]

For years I have grown the Celeriac variety "Monarch".  Last year I also tried "Giant Prague" as it sounded like I'd get a much bigger crop!  I didn't :( the roots didn't swell at all. I sowed both varieties again this year, same outcome.

I don't put a lot of effort into my veg - ground is prepared - mostly by mulching with thick layer of manure in Autumn - plants are raised in Spring, planted and then harvested. In very dry weather I water, but not as a matter of course.  Celeriac is a bog plant! and I wonder if Monarch is a lot less fussy about getting enough water?

I'm going to make a determined effort to spend more time in the veg patch next year, and I will try irrigating the Celeriac profusely and see what difference that makes - both to the Monarch, as well as the Giant Prague.  Monarch have never been huge (to date :) ) but maybe they will be much bigger with more water. We've only ever needed a couple (of the size that I have grown) for Sunday lunch, and I have space-enough, so I've never been too bothered to try to grow larger ones