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I LAST TRYED TO GROW CELERY WHEN I WAS ABOUT 14 YEARS OLD AND I HAD A BAD RESULT AND WOULD LOVE TO GIVE IT A GO AGAIN. SO I NEED ADVICE AS IT WILL SOON BE TIME TO SOW THE SEEDS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE HARD THINGS TO GROW AND THAT THEY ARE HIGH MAINTENACE BUT I LIKE A CHALLENGE  ANY IDEA WHAT VERIETY TO GO FOR ???ANY INFOMATION WOULD BE GREATFULLY RECIEVEDb][/b]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      THANKS CC

Hi CC, growing celery.... how do you want to do it??? The easy or the difficult way.... Nowadays  make your choice. Because there are two different varieties: easy: the self-blanching varieties or with a lot of effort: the trench varieties.
The trench varieties have , of course, the best flavour!!! ;D
Easy: self blanching: require no trenching and no earthing up, but are less stringy than trench ones. Good choice: Celebrity
If you decide for the trech varieties than you have to prepare trenches and earth up the stems all the time when the green leaves are shown. That is to make them larger and to reduce the stringiness and improve flavour.  Good choice: Giant pink and Dwarf white.

THANKS FOR THAT LADY COSMOS I HAVE LOTS OF LAND AND WILL TRY OUT BOTH METHODS AND SEE WHAT TURN OUT THE BEST                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                REGARDS CC         

And to blanch the stems, Lady?

We've always had better results from self-blanching - far less slug damage.  But it needs LASHINGS of water. The splitting of the trench variety shown in my earlier photo, I now find, was also due to dry roots. Celebrity was good this year. Do grow in 'blocks' -  8-9" spacing between plants, & put a 6" high ventile barrier - such as green mesh, all around to help blanch the outer rows.

One disadvantage of s/b is that it does not go through the frosts without protection. = Tim

PS Some recommend surface sowing.

There's an even easier option too: leaf celery or 'parcel'.

This has all the taste of celery but looks like parsley and is as easy as parsley to grow. It thrives in light shade and grows all winter under cover. I use it all the time when I want the taste of celery in a soup or stock.

Admittedly, it's a bit coarse to eat in salad but I'd still rank it as an essential crop.

I have been trying to find out about celery so thank you all , I shall get some self blanching seeds , can I sow them now,

I can't stand cellery but I love celeriac......... my missus always says I'm wierd :-\

Celeriac is one of the best & most versatile veggies in the world!

Ooo I agree Tim.  Only discovered celeriac last year and only planted one row and it is still in situ....well 6 are left from the 30 odd that were planted, they have been so good!  I use them as an alternative to spuds and the young central leaves I have been using in salads.  I tried celery, but absolutely no joy what so ever.  Shall I try again this year?

I too have bought celery seeds.

Shall give them a try and see what happens ... if anything!

Debs

EJ - oh yes! If you have too much, you can always freeze it for cooking.

You've tried celeriac fried, of course?

Oh yes Tim, celeriac chips, celeriac crisps, celeriac gratin, celeriac mash, celeriac game chips, raw in salads even! ;D

I shall give the celery another go.  When should I sow??

What do you mean 'even'? Of course!! For those new to it, do hold in acidulated water till needed.

Celery? As you know, I'm not one for rushing - it'll be early March & again 3 weeks later. I'm trying VidaVerde's 'Full White' self-blanching this year. Can't recall if you had some? They warn not to let propagating temp get below 10C for more than 12 hrs or they will bolt. They recommend putting straw in between the plants to help blanching, but I worry about that helping slugs??

I can't remember either Tim.  I shall go though my seed box and see what I have and have a read.  I can't possibly be beaten...................can I.................... :-\

If you need it, we have it!

And, of course, in bubble & squeak?

Emma, or anyone -  if you have Full White - I was surprised to see a harvest date of October. Most s/b types are autumn, which is so very limiting. So - checked with the firm and - hooray!!

"Hi, it stands fine through quite heavy frosts - we are still eating it now in end Feb.  We don't have an earlier type, largely because we mainly tend to use celery as a winter veg (particularly celery soup & braised celery) & salad.


best wishes
Kate"

Tim is right on the versatility front - you only have to watch the TV to see that the whole vegetable can be used for entertainment

The stalks can be used, when wetted, to heighten enjoyment of naughty things - 'Allo 'Allo

The roots, being turnip-like, can have all sorts of uses and be very valuable - Black Adder

Phil  ;D

Sorry John, as you have left the country that is probably lost on you

 :)EASY CELERY
last year i sowed 'giant red' in early march in the greenhouse- put it out in july or so and that was the last thing i had to do to it.
I get leaf and stem- not as much stem as if i had trenched it up but good 10inch stems, thin and full of flavour- great for soups. The plants are bomb proof- really nasty severe frosts did not trouble it - this is in a bit of a frost pocket in mid scotland - chilly.  The plants are still going strong - i look forward to collecting seed this summer- i reckon all that would 'do for it' would be prolonged dry weather- celery being originally a plant of damp habitats.
It doesnt get any easier than this- i take a few stems at a time -on a cut and come again basis.
Next year i'll do exactly the same- maybe try a row to trench up and get longer stems.
I got 'Red Giant' or 'Giant Red' as it is sometimes named ,from Suttons, i think Chiltern seeds has it ;D

"The best large stalked celery we have seen. Stalks are large like standard green celery. This variety is more tender and mild than the smaller "Red""

That's a new one surely - c&c celery??

Some say use straw to help blanch self-blanching celery. Others think that that's a bonus for slugs.

What about putting planks around the sides??

Why so many mini-stems??

Quote from: tim on June 29, 2005, 08:15:59
What about putting planks around the sides??

An old book of mine suggests using asbestos sheets for the side of the trench  :o. I'm sure quite a few of us have those lying around on our plots!

ASBESTOS?? A very old book!

Absolutely antediluvianly ancient: Grow Your Own by Lawrence D. Hills, published 1971!!

I didn't even know they had printing presses then...

Quote from: tim on September 03, 2005, 09:02:43
Why so many mini-stems??

They are other buds breaking as the effects of the auxin produced by the central growing point lessens. This may indicate that the plant is about to flower as gibberelic acid is possibly starting to predominate.

Quote from: philcooper on February 17, 2005, 09:05:28
Tim is right on the versatility front - you only have to watch the TV to see that the whole vegetable can be used for entertainment

The stalks can be used, when wetted, to heighten enjoyment of naughty things - 'Allo 'Allo

The roots, being turnip-like, can have all sorts of uses and be very valuable - Black Adder

Phil ;D

Sorry John, as you have left the country that is probably lost on you

Totally. Black Adder has been shown over here but I don't watch enough T.V. to understand the comment!

All gibberish to me, John - but thanks!

PS - later - you were so right??

Perhaps I have an excess of gibberellic acid too, Tim?
You may want to check your other plants too. You, and anyone else with celery of course, can do this by carefully pulling away the stalks and seeing if you can see any more flowering stem initials or reaching down into the heart and trying to feel for them. If one is bolting more are probably getting ready to.

Hi Terrace Max,
                         The last thing you would want to introduce to your plot is asbestos it is carcinogenic. :o

There is a multitude of data stating the devastating effects of asbestos, back in the 70's the effects of asbestos related diseases were still a matter of conjecture. It is now known to be a carcinogenic material and is as far as I am aware it is restricted as to usage.

I would advise anyone to steer clear of using this material. ;)

Sorry to be a prophet of doom but it is very nasty stuff.


                                                        PREMTAL

That, in one word, was my meaning!

Errm, likewise...!

Any time asbestos turns up on my site, and there's plenty of it squirrelled away, the Council gets in a firm of specialists to get rid of it, probably at great expense.

Our parish council clerk told a fellow allomenter to burn the asbestos sheets on his allotment  ???

I've grown Golden Self Blanching 3 this year. I started the seedlings off in the heated propagator and then transferred to my pvc greenhouse. the plants grew well, and all survived transplant to the plot. The seed packet did mention the side shoots shown in tim's pic, and said to remove them to increase size of remaining stalks. (No point if they start bolting obviously). The stalks are not nearly as big as supermarket celery, probably because I haven't watered them every day, but they are tender and have a great flavour.

Remove them?? Ha! See me in the middle of a 24 plant jungle trying to do that?

Can't even touch my toes!

Terrace Max / Tim,
                             Sorry about the rant I just did not read the posts properly, I saw the word asbestos and the red mist came down. ::)

In my early years I worked in the shipyards and 3 of the lads I knew worked with that evil stuff every day, none of them saw their 60th birthday. :(

It was killing them every day and they were oblivious of the risks, they were never supplied with protective masks just paid danger money. >:(

                                                 PREMTAL

Rant on  -  I'm right behind you!!