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Gosh they look pretty Jan.  My Red Venture was at this stage and I planted them out yesterday, but they were started a lot earlier than the Chinese Pink.  Really looking forward to this. 

Yes, celery is a marsh plant and if our gardens are dry and the soil is cracking, this is difficult to achieve. Has never stopped me cutting them into smaller bits and adding to salads.  And there are also cooked celery recipes to try other than soups and stews.   https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/celery-baked-in-ham-cheese?srsltid=AfmBOoohLWvmov96DpX4itqwpGyxHFuLouYgOU-A4d0xr-G2xRb0-geW

They look so pretty! A fantastic addition to your celery mix, JanG!

Not sure how they do it commercially... some kind of blanching method with abundant irrigation? Definitely not happening in my garden   

A not very clear photo of my Chinese Pink seedlings before planting out. [attach id=50194]IMG

Quote from: juliev on May 16, 2025, 07:38:45I hope I have mixed celery too! I am planning a relaxed celery mix that I can just scatter in the beds. I have some big healthy pink/reds and greens that overwintered and are going to seed at the moment (much better than the ones I ever planted...). I might lose the bigger stalks, mixing them all that way, but I mainly use it in soups and stews so it's not a problem. Thanks again Vetivert for the seeds! Fingers crossed for your peas...

I'm delighted too to have celery self-seeding and coming up in all sorts of odd spots, never a nuisance as it's so upright. It's always red, probably a descendant of Redventure, although I've also had Solid Pink from HSL, which I grew for a couple of years and might have contributed.

Many years ago I fretted because the celery I grew was relatively tough and stringy and I was hoping for the kind you used to dip in salt and eat raw for Sunday tea! I'm not sure how that is achieved commercially but it's not happened for me. But like you, juliev, it's significant use is for soups and stews and very much valued for those.

Hi Jeannine. I also think you're fine to let your squash ramble over your gravel. They try to put down further roots of course, but can manage without those, and in any case the roots can explore your gravel for moisture.

Are you also wondering how many would go into your three foot square of good soil? There I'm uncertain. Two certainly. Maybe three? Possibly all four if they can get their roots really deep and perhaps beyond the surface area of soil? Could you have one in a half barrel, and allow it to trail along the gravel with the others?

I hope yours grow well too, Tricia. I'm also trying Pink Banana for the first time (and Potimarron, but not for the first time)  but it's very slow to get going. I'm hoping it will catch up.

Hi Jeannine,

I had one too many butternut plants last year so John planted it in a very small, well manured space and let it roam along the paving in front of my apple trees. We stopped the run at about 4 meters (not allowing any branching) and harvested 4 good sized squash so I would say go ahead!

This year I've had difficulty getting Waltham butternut seeds to germinate, so am relying on the Butterfly variety, also growing Pink banana and Potimarron, growing them all on obelisks in one 2m x 1m raised bed.

Hope you are keeping well and will have a good growing season.

Tricia x

I should know this but don't.

 Can I allow a well dug in plant to ramble over gravel after the first 3 feet. I am extremely short of space, these days I just have my greenhouse and some very large pots like half  barrels  mostly. I have flower borders round the lawn but they are for the most part in shade I have a small square about 3 feet of good ground  just outside my greenhouse to the right in full sun but then all round the greenhouse it is gravel.

I have 4 very important winter squash plants that I really want to grow for seed this year and am unsure as to were to put them and looking for ideas . They were originally going to my sons but he has multiple squash planned and they would cross. Currently they are in 18 ich tall pots in the greenhouse waiting to go in the ground. I did think about keeping one in there and hand pollinating it but the space it will take up is prohibitive, growing it vertically would shade the other things in there and the squash are a bit big for that..

I could grow in a half barrel along a wall with a trellis, the sun is OK but the squash size worries me. I also have a trellis with a foot wide border enclosed in stone against a side wall with extremely sandy soil, the sun changes as the day progresses but it is in shade by 2pm.

I am sort of stuck and would welcome any ideas

XX Jeannine

Quote from: JanG on May 16, 2025, 05:27:11Were you growing the excellent Redventure last year? Might they be part of the cross too?

Only Chinese Pink and White, and no other celery around.

galina you'll have trouble seeing the difference on the littlest seedlings but mine here are still pretty small. As they grow and get UV exposure the colours will be more clear. I'll be potting mine on soon so will take some photos of what I've found there. I'm sure that they'll thrive in your care.

Quote from: JanG on May 15, 2025, 06:27:02By 'at home' I'm assuming you mean outside at home, rather than indoors, although I've read of someone keeping a single climbing bean plant indoors, out of season, in order to get precious seeds. Personally I'd prefer the at home alternative, outdoors, where you can keep a daily eye on the plant(s).

Yes, outdoors at home in a north facing courtyard. Unless the weather shifts significantly and this is projected for a long period, I agree that home is the best option. Will keep you updated!

I am growing both Red Venture and Chinese Pink this year.  There are still a lot of Red Venture seeds left from my last seed save, so I hope to save only Chinese Pink.  Thank you for telling us that we need to select.  Mine are still pretty tiny and I can't really see the different colours in the stems yet.