Allotments 4 All

Have you had successful crops of celery? Beiginning to get the feeling that this could involve a lot of heartache and tlc for not very good celery. Be honest, I can face the truth.. I think ???

Although our trench celery, last year, was a disaster, I think that, if I had taken some precautions, like nematodes etc, & put a few slug pellets in the fill-in soil, we might have got by.

I'm back to self-blanching this year, as you have seen.

Mine are on their second 'proper' leaves but were pr*cked out as soon as they had their first into cells.  When is it okay to plant them on the plot??

A thought on this - the shorter time they are in the ground, the safer? But yours are self blanching, Emma? I would think that when  they are 3" high, or are outgrowing the cells, whichever is the sooner - &  after hardening off?

Yes self blanching.  I shall leave them to it for the time being then.  Are they incredibly thirsty plants?  Can get my hands on lots of 2 year old FYM - would a good dose of that before planting help?

AH ha, I know the answer to this!! They love a really well enriched soil, very thirsty and very hungry. That's as far as my knowledge goes, and that's from books, good books, mind you...! ;D

Okay dokey - quick ansa, thanks!  I shall get plenty of poop dug in.  Extra water, unlikely.  Will water when I plant them, but then it is up to mother nature, or me if I really have nothing else to do at the allotment.....^{yeah, like that ever happens!}.

hmm, i am worried about my celery and celeriac. the seedlings have been out for a few days and are still really tiny (tim's cell picture springs to mind).
now, i get nervuous around tiny plants - will they ever grow big enough to pot them up and plant them out? ???
if so, how long to reach a decent size? (2 inches or something)

anyone?

svea

My seedlings are still quite tiny.  After initial growth seem to have stopped! But I'm hoping a bright sunny day and a bit of music will goad them on!

Very excitied, celery seedlings now producing pair of true leaves!! Still very slow though, toms are racing away. ;D

Must be that music you're playing them  ;D

What music did you play them?

I played them some Kate Melua, Reef and a bit of classical, just to cover all bases! ;D Not sure which one they took too!

Re the playing of music...for mothers day I was given a radio which recharges by winding it up therefore have very portable source of plant music ;D ;D ;D

Debs

I bet your celery plants are happy! I'm really pleased, much to my amazement, they're growing really well, first set of true leaves have appeared, now producing next.  Can pot on soon, Ihope...  Daughter wants to know if they're ready to eat yet? ::) Lottie

still small, mine are. no new leaves yet.

hope they manage to grow before they all die on me :-\

I'm sure they'll be fine. Keep playing the music.  Mine seemed to take an age to do anything.  I've decided they take a while to grow a half decent root system, then take off.  Could be wrong but feels right!!! ;D