I want to grow some next year, for the first time EVER :-[
I grow in my garden. Do I need to earmark a patch which has been manured this autumn or one which I left un-manured, or, indeed, into a Famous Black Bukkit, please? And, cos I only want to grow as a trial bout 6-10 plants, which will be the best for me to trial? Do I stagger seeding? When will be the earliest/latest time to seed to harvest - when? And, of course, your tried-and-true varieties, please.
(and PS....any spare seeds most welcome ;D)
I've got some golden self blanching I can split with ya, as long as I can nick all the tips you get as I can't grow celery, it always goes stringy and very strong. ;D
Quote from: manicscousers on December 20, 2008, 21:42:25
I've got some golden self blanching I can split with ya, as long as I can nick all the tips you get as I can't grow celery, it always goes stringy and very strong. ;D
errr........if I don't get a betta offa.....? ;D ;D ;D
Is it THAT difficult to grow, then, or are U just cr*p at it? ;)
well, I think I'm just cr@p at it ;D
Quote from: manicscousers on December 20, 2008, 21:52:59
well, I think I'm just cr@p at it ;D
No, your probably not. I've been trying to grow it for years and can't.
I think it knows I don't like it and responds accordingly.
Don't bother. Buy it from Waitrose or the farmers' market.
I tried last year and did every bit of advice I received from the experts on A4A and on my site. It was stringy & inedible!
Mind you, my father used to grow lovely stuff on his allotment when I was a kid, so perhaps it's me, not the celery....
Quote from: manicscousers on December 20, 2008, 21:42:25
it always goes stringy and very strong. ;D
That is because it is home grown and tasty. The supermarket stuff is tasteless, forced, slug free, and edible to the top. When I used to grow it we only ate the bottom 4 inches.
I was never versed in the art of championship celery, but got by planting in a trench then earthing up with leafmould compost as they grew. Perfect habitat for slugs, but they came off under the tap. The darker unblanched bits used to be used as flavouring in stews and stuff, not eaten.
Self blanching? I cannot see how they can say that. All it must be is a type of celery that grows white instead of green, It will still be stringy, unless you crop it young.
we did use some for soups and stews and froze some...trouble is, I like the 'tasteless, edible to the top', I've even been known to eat bought iceberg lettuce ;D
So have I Manics but wasn't brave/daft enough to come out of the closet... ;D
We finally grew celery worth eating this year, as opposed to excellent soup, lots of muck and lots of water seemed to be the key!
:-\
see, that's what I can't undestand, it was in a well-manured bed and we couldn't've had more rain than this year, could we ? ;D
Thanks for the input all. I'll take you up on your offer of a few seeds then Manics, later on - you can plant some, I can plant some, and we can Have A Challindge ;D
Stringy or not, I suspected that home-grown has a bit more taste than the supermarket stuff and that's what I want to find out - the difference between a home-grown cucumber & a supermarket one is really remarkable, isn't it?
right, I'll get some sent off after chrimbo, will need your addie, I love a challenge, shame we can't grow choclit ;D
sow march and april so lots of time :)
I grew 'Loretta', 'Golden Self Blanching' and 'Green Soup' this year, in a raised bed in shallow trenches which I earthed up.
Grew 5 plants per row in well manures soil ,which is a close planting and that helped get a decent length of paler stem (never gets to be white but I prefer the taste of the greener stems anyway!). I just flooded the trenches in dry spells, let the rain do the rest and fed with chicken pellets and seeweed liquid, got good crops from all 3 varieties. Still have some going now, the close planting helps protect the centres from frost too, so will be having some for Christmas supper! ;D
Deb, that's really good detailed advice, many thanks. I'm going to paste your instructions into my folder 8)...manics, suggest you do the same :P ;D
Thanks Deb,
Fired up my enthusiasm to have a go again. Last time, I tried 'collers' to keep the grublets out but the stems were nibbled all over. They looked awful. As I don't grow main crop spuds now due to the dreaded blight, loads of space for 'more of this & more of that'.
;D
I had two nunkies who grew celery successfully. I think they were before the self-blanching era.
They used to get well weathered soot (scarcer that rocking horse manure these days) ;D and wrap the plants in stiff cardboard with the soot inside. The soot was to deter slugs. I remember when I was young celery was mucky with soot. You never got the hyper-clean stuff you get these days. ::) ::)
Can't give much of an opinion on taste. Celery was not one of my favourite veg. ;D
valmarg
Quote from: Deb P on December 21, 2008, 13:11:25
I grew 'Loretta', 'Golden Self Blanching' and 'Green Soup' this year, in a raised bed in shallow trenches which I earthed up.
Grew 5 plants per row in well manures soil ,which is a close planting and that helped get a decent length of paler stem (never gets to be white but I prefer the taste of the greener stems anyway!). I just flooded the trenches in dry spells, let the rain do the rest and fed with chicken pellets and seeweed liquid, got good crops from all 3 varieties. Still have some going now, the close planting helps protect the centres from frost too, so will be having some for Christmas supper! ;D
right, roll on growing season ;D
don't think I can find soot, valmarg, although my sister has an open fire :)
Thanks for that Valmarg. I have loads of soot from my 'chimley'.
Another gem to note down.
:D
Telboy, the soot has to be 'well weathered'. If it is too fresh it will scorch the plants it is intended to protect.
valmarg
Get in touch with your local sweeps, you will doing them a favour letting them dump on your lotty site.
I've read that even with self-blanching, direct sunlight tends to make the stalks stringier which is why I plant in quite dense blocks, but would welcome support or otherwise of this theory. Think I planted too tightly this time as the stalks were a bit thin.
This block was grown from transplanted seedlings grown in cells and planted out around the end of May. We have light free draining soil and so have to be careful not to let the celery dry out. Composted manure was dug in around March/April
[attachment=1]
There are four varieties in the picture, although you can't see much difference: Blush, Victoria, Tango and Granada. They all came out much the same but I found Granada and Blush were the hardiest when the cold weather arrived, though Blush was quite stringy Going to try Giant Red and Utah this year. If you want to have another go Trevor, PM me for some seed :)
I'm picking up a bit more info here, then, and thanks 'Owl for the pics....
I've a plot, ex-compost plot, which will be idea for the conditions you describe including light levels, and so I'll earmark part of this for them. 8)
Now then...varieties? You've all, obviously, got your faves which have given successful returns, so which might be your absolute faves? 'Golden Self-Blanching' (thanks Manics) is there, but, out of the others you've grown successfully, which other might I ( well we = me'n'Manics) try? Deb.....which variety will you be pulling at Christmas ?
ps from the reading of this post, I'm surprised that this has engendered the interest it has....thought that celery wasn't on most peeps' 'Fave' list? But it is on mine, and I'd really like to give it go, so thanks for all the info. 8)
Quote from: Hyacinth on December 22, 2008, 17:51:31
ps from the reading of this post, I'm surprised that this has engendered the interest it has....thought that celery wasn't on most peeps' 'Fave' list? But it is on mine, and I'd really like to give it go, so thanks for all the info. 8)
I'm not a great lover of the stuff unless it is cooked, 1 exception for a waldorf salad. But it is a crop that pays for its keep, and the challenge is always there to grow a lovely long white perfect one. My family love the stuff and will grab a stick instead of an apple, I always gave it to the kids, straight out of the ground and rinsed in the stream when they were 'helping' me. Don't tell mum I used to say and I think the naughtyness of eating it raw has stuck with them and they grow it theirselves.