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I have 2 celery plants and have been told that i need to put a tube round the stems, now i understand this is apparently to make the stems go white.  My question is this does it make a difference to the taste, growth rate etc?

cheers

Mick

I have always gone with the idea that blanching the stems does actually enhance flavour and tenderness but that it isn't essential, nothing wrong with green celery (same as with leeks) - not sure how much myth or truth there is in that though, perhaps it is down to personal taste

That's good question. I can't answer it definitively and would like to know the answer, but I can say:

a) a lot of varieties of celery are 'self-blanching' which means unlike traditional varieties, they don't need to be earthed up or enclosed.

b) I grew both types last year without earthing up either and there wasn't much difference between the two - the original variety (Granada F1) was perhaps a little firmer.

PS They get unhappy if they don't get enough water.

It will make a difference to the growth if you collar it as the plant want light so you will get longer celery

Makes sense. I could try it with an old rhubarb forcer but I think it might be too big.

What about the tenderness / taste  aspect? Anyone have an answer?

Use cardboard wrapped round the plant as collars  and it should not affect taste or tenderness