How to grow Celery

Apium graveolens

A slow-growing, moisture-loving vegetable grown for its crisp leaf stalks. It needs a long, steady season and a constant supply of water.

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Apiaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–6.8
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	21 days
Seedlings ready	56 days
Sowing to harvest	140 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 11 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 140 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	18…21 °C	balanced (NPK), 42 days into the stage
Growth	every 2 days	15…24 °C	nitrogen, 28 days into the stage; nitrogen, 56 days into the stage
Harvest	every 2 days	0…24 °C	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	18…21 °C	balanced (NPK), 42 days into the stage
Growth	every 3 days	15…24 °C	nitrogen, 28 days into the stage; nitrogen, 56 days into the stage
Harvest	every 3 days	0…24 °C	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	18…21 °C	balanced (NPK), 42 days into the stage
Growth	every 2 days	15…24 °C	nitrogen, 28 days into the stage; nitrogen, 56 days into the stage
Harvest	every 2 days	15…24 °C	—

Growing notes

Light

Needs a sunny spot.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive soil rich in organic matter, pH 6–6.8.

Care

Sow indoors at 15 °C or more and only press the seed onto the surface, as it needs light to germinate. Keep young plants above 10 °C, or they bolt. Plant out after the last frost, about ten weeks after sowing; set self-blanching types 23 cm apart in a block so they shade each other. Never let the soil dry out, giving about 25–50 mm of water a week, as dry spells make the stalks stringy and strong-tasting. Side-dress with nitrogen 4 and 8 weeks after planting out. Self-blanching celery is not hardy, so cut it before the first frost.

Pests and diseases of Celery

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.