Root celery is rarely found in our gardens. Growing and caring for them is fraught with difficulties. From sowing to harvesting root celery more than five months must pass, and this makes any gardener tinker with him. Root celery is a tricky crop. When growing it, you need to know some of the subtleties, features. But celery has a lot of useful properties, it is tasty, so I think you can work hard.
Growing root celery in the open field, varieties
The technology of sowing, growing seedlings, planting root and petiole celery in the ground is the same. Therefore, here we will talk about the root, but know that the petiole should also be grown in the same way. There are some differences in care, but they will be discussed below. Leafy species can be sown directly in open ground.
The first subtlety when growing celery is the choice of the variety. Old varieties of root celery, such as Yablochny and Gribovsky, are still on sale. They form not very large root crops, weighing no more than 200-350 g. In modern varieties, the root can reach a weight of 900 g. There is another drawback in older varieties - they give a large lobe of branched roots. It is not very convenient to clean such a vegetable - there is a lot of waste. Try to get those varieties that give an even, good, large root crop.
The second feature is that this plant has a very extended growing season - from germination to maturation. For example, in medium early varieties, it is 160-180 days. In fact, this is more than 5 months of waiting for the harvest.
Whatever we talk about growing - the basis of the crop is seeds. It is important which seeds to choose. Gardeners should pay attention to such varieties as Esaul, Edward, Maxim. These are gorgeous root varieties, they keep well and ripen calmly.
Maxim (root) is a very early variety. He is the same in terms of ripening as Esaul, but he has a longer period of growth. That is, he can potentially give an even larger root crop than Esaul. These root varieties should be paid attention to those gardeners who have not grown this culture before. These are hassle-free varieties.
Celery seedlings, how to grow
Sowing for seedlings - late January-early February (Krasnodar Territory), February-early March (middle lane).
Root and petiole cannot be grown without seedlings - most likely it will be a bunch of greenery, and there will be no root crop itself. Leaf can be sown directly into open ground. But the preparation of seeds for sowing is the same for everyone.
The seeds are pre-soaked in hot water at a temperature of 60 ° C. The seed coat contains many essential oils. Hot water is needed to remove them, since exactly essential oils do not allow seeds to germinate quickly.
We keep the seeds in hot water until they cool completely. Hot water does not dissolve essential oils; when heated, they rise to the surface. We wash the seeds with running water - the oils are washed off. Pour the seeds onto a cloth, dry them slightly until flowability appears, so that they stop sticking to each other.
Celery seeds germinate only when exposed to light. We sow seeds on the surface of the soil, without sprinkling it with earth. Press them lightly with your palm to the surface of the ground. This is the main condition for growing celery. The soil layer in the nursery should be 7-10 cm high.It should be very good lighting... Cover the nursery with foil or glass on top.
Celery grows hard, shoots appear in twenty days. The first time when watering, you should use a sprayer.
You can grow seedlings in peat tablets... After 3-4 leaves appear, you can dive - choose individual cups with a volume of 200-500 ml.
The choice of where to plant seedlings is very important for celery. It should be an absolutely bright place. Even light shading reduces tuber weight. The soil should be very loose, fertile, moist. If you have clay soil, or, like mine, black soil - add sand, compost, sawdust when planting. It will be difficult for the root head to increase its volume if the soil is dense.
Picking celery seedlings into the ground
Seedlings are planted in the ground according to the 40 × 40 cm scheme. Do not save space on the garden bed. This vegetable should be spacious. Plants should not shade each other. I repeat once again - he is very fond of light. Thickened plantings, when large spreading leaves shade each other, lead to the formation of a small root crop.
Seedlings are transplanted into open ground when they reach a height of 8-10 cm. By this time, 6-7 true leaves have already appeared.
The most important condition for transplanting root celery: do not deepen the root collar, the place where the leaves pass into the root. If you plant below the seedling level, the roots will grow small, with many lateral roots. This, of course, will greatly affect the quality of the crop - you can only use the leaves for food, there will be no root crop.
The photo above is indicative: pay attention to the distance between the seedlings - for the root it is very important - it should be spacious.
Experts advise planting celery in the ridges. The root vegetable is very rich root system... Remember what a root is after digging up? That's right, shaggy. Ridge planting gives the fruit additional growth area and reduces root "hairiness".
Video - planting root celery seedlings in the ground in Holland (mechanized method for industrial cultivation):
Celery root - what kind of care is needed in the garden?
Need good, regular watering. Root varieties do not tolerate drying out of the soil at all. On dry soil, the root crop loses its taste and aroma. It is advisable to mulch the beds to retain moisture. But when mulching, make sure that the root collar of the celery is not covered with mulch.
It is often tempting to cut off young fragrant leaves, for example, for salad or soup - as we usually do with parsley leaves. It is advisable not to do this. And if you have already decided to feast on young leaves, then uproot the plant - there will be no sense from it. Because the plant gains strength precisely from the leaves. You can pick off the leaves only after the petioles become plump and thickening appears, i.e. a root crop began to form.
How to feed a celery garden? If, when laying it on the bottom of the holes, you added compost and ash, then you can do without top dressing. But this vegetable grows for a long time, the growing season is very extended, so it will not be superfluous to feed it with complex fertilizer once a month. It should be taken into account that the root crop takes out calcium from the soil at the level of macronutrients. Therefore, simultaneously with the complex, you can add calcium fertilizers, for example, calcium nitrate, to the top dressing.
Root celery is not spud, only petiolate is spud. Instead of hilling, paper wrapping can be used to bleach the petioles. This is usually done two weeks before harvest. The stems should be pressed tightly together and wrapped in light-shielding material (newspaper, sheet of paper). By the time of harvesting, the petioles become tender, white, and the bitterness disappears.
Stalked celery two weeks before harvest Another important technique is the removal of side roots. We carry out this operation only for root celery. Trimming lateral roots right in the ground, tracing the main root with a knife along the contour. This procedure is carried out twice a season. Dates - mid-summer. Usually old varieties require such processing. Therefore, if you do not want to bother, choose varieties of a new selection.
When the main shoot at the root celery begins to thicken, several outer leaves are cut off so that only the inner rosette remains. Leaves to be torn off usually begin to bend to the ground. Only those that grow vertically are left. This promotes root growth. Starting in the middle of summer, yellowed old leaves are cut off.
Another agrotechnical technique for obtaining larger root crops: uncooking or shoveling off the soil from the root crops that have begun to form.
Unlike root celery, we get harvest earlier. We use leaves for food. The rosette of the leafy vegetable is more powerful than that of the root vegetable - the number of leaves ranges from 30 to 100. Varieties for cultivation - Zakhar, Senezh, Vanyusha. A variety of curly celery is called Chudak.
How to distinguish leafy celery from petiolate? A leaf petiole will have a void inside, and a petiole inside will have a dense pulp without voids.
Take your time digging up the celery root. Because it is a short day plant. It turns out he has everything nutrients accumulate in autumn, when the weather is already cool at night. Harvested late - September-October. If they did not have time to remove it before frost, a layer of straw, cut grass 15 cm thick is laid around the base of the stems to protect the outlets from freezing. It is desirable that the mulch is dry.
Good neighbors for root celery are leeks, cabbage. In addition, he himself protects many plants from pests. It can even be planted next to flowers - it will drive away aphids, for example, from roses.
One way to store it is to dig up the celery, wrap the root vegetable in paper, and put the roots down in a box of wet sand. Store the box in the cellar.
oksi writes: Something my experiments have not been crowned with success. The petiole withers, and the leaves burn on the root. What happened? I water every other day.
Answer for oksi: Leaves are burning - it's just a tick you probably eat. Did you notice the cobweb on the burning leaves?
hunter 1
I've always sowed in the snow. You can clearly see where the seeds are. Then the snow melts and the seeds fall to the ground, then I cover it with a film and spray it with dewdrops as needed, and pour the earth through a strainer. The hardest part of growing for me is picking. A very, very delicate and thin plant, but it takes root well. In the summer, I water through a drip tape and regularly tear off all the leaves that have fallen to the ground. In the fall, a rather large 1 kg or more of celery is obtained.
http://fermer.ru/forum/otkrytyi-grunt/50871?page=1
I sowed celery in boxes of liter juices, in 2-3 lines. At first she dived into separate cups. Then she stopped - she planted the seedlings immediately in the ground. But my mistake is deep deepening and not digging. Yablochny and Gribovsky waited from the depths, but never waited. I was content with the leaves.
Ivanovochka
Planting variety Yegor, the seedlings were strong. Was unpacked in cups. It took root very quickly, and the root crop was small - I didn't even dig it up and left before winter. Now I think that, nevertheless, my mistake in cultivation is this - I did not cut the roots and, apparently, did not remove the earth a lot, did not break off the leaf at all.
http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php?topic=7132.0
As soon as the growth point reaches 1.5-2 cm in diameter, loosen the soil around the celery (if dry, water it in advance). Rake the soil away from the growing point so that it is outside. If there is a formed (even a slight hint of) root vegetable, remove all roots at the top of it. I take an old canvas mitten and just wipe it off upper part root vegetable. Rake all the soil from the root crop so that it is outside (only those roots that grow downward need to be left underground). If the ground floats after rain, the operation will have to be repeated. Remove ALL drooping leaves (tilt angle less than 40 ° -45 °) mercilessly. You need to remove it as follows - just pull to the side (not upwards) and the petiole will calmly break off right at the root without leaving any "tails". The leaves are great for multivitamin juices, salads (the leaf is harsh, you need to cut it very small) and more. For those who do not taste it, it means in compost or for cosmetics. And one more piece of advice - it won't good watering- you won't get a big root, a drop is very welcome (checked!). Petiole celery normally tolerates partial shade, but root celery does not.
http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php?topic=7132.0
How to use celery so that the benefits are
Celery can be leaf, stalked, root. Among the leafy varieties, there are varieties with curly leaves. Leaf celery is more often used in soups, salads as spicy herbs or to decorate dishes. Petiole with the addition of other vegetables is often prepared delicious juices, mousses. Raw root celery is delicious in salads, while boiled celery is like potatoes. Very tasty cream soups are obtained from the root. Also, bake the root well, cut into large pieces, with meat. Especially useful is a salad of grated root vegetables with apples, carrots, herbs, seasoned vegetable oil with lemon juice.
This root vegetable (or petiole, leaves) is a storehouse of unique nutrients for our body. It is appreciated not only for its rich composition of nutrients, but also for its low calorie content. This allows it to be used like dietary product... Freshly squeezed juice from it is useful. It is useful as one of the components of salads or soups, as well as stewed, boiled, baked. Regular inclusion of celery in your menu slows down the aging of the body, contains a lot of biologically active substances, vitamin C.
The health benefits of celery may be interesting for men. The root and stem contain phytoandrogens, substances that stimulate testosterone production in men. For the greatest effect, the root or stems need to be eaten for at least 1-1.5 months every day.
If you are fasting, then even more so, eat celery. Due to the high content of amino acids, tyrosine, it is a good meat substitute. It can help you lose weight. Essential oils stimulate digestion, the production of enzymes by the pancreas. Improves the production of gastric juice, therefore, the digestion of food is better and faster.
This vegetable is rich in calcium. One hundred grams of this plant is thousands of milligrams of calcium, that is, almost a daily requirement. This vegetable helps to wash out salts, therefore, it cleanses the body.
Pay special attention to celery leaves: the beneficial properties of a decoction from them will help calm the nerves and even out sleep.
Is there any harm? You can hardly use this word in relation to celery. Measure is important in everything. It's just that people with stomach problems, with acute pancreatitis or cholecystitis, need to be more careful with this vegetable.
There is practically no waste at the root - they eat both the leaves and the fruit. It is a great aromatic addition to any dish.
Do not be afraid of the difficulties in growing and caring for root celery, they will pay off with the benefits that you will undoubtedly feel.
Added in December 2018
Salads with herbs, and especially with the addition of celery sprigs, are useful and tasty at any time of the year. And where can you get this useful herb?
You don't have to buy, you can grow it yourself at home. Let's take a look at tips on how to master the technique of planting leaf celery.
Useful properties of celery
Consider the beneficial properties of the plant. The greens are delicious, nutritious and full of flavor. Salads are decorated with its leaves, increasing appetite. And also tender and healthy herbs are added to soups, main courses and various sauces, pickles.
The product is so versatile that it is suitable for frying, baking and even pickling. In many complex seasonings, celery is found in the composition.
Planting technique of leaf celery
Before you start, decide on a location. By choosing the right one, you don't have to worry about a great harvest.
Factors affecting fit:
- optimal temperature;
- adequate lighting;
- air humidity.
These factors provide growth and quality taste. To make the product grow, support optimal temperature from 18 to 20 degrees.
If it is lower, then the plant grows more slowly, and the green mass comes out in small quantities. The plant will give a good harvest if it receives enough heat and sunlight. Do not plant in a dark place.
Celery needs increased wet air... Therefore, we additionally irrigate from a spray bottle. Do not plant in windy places, as the wind dries out the soil, cools the roots, and a strong one can break the stem and the plant dries up.
What kind of soil does leafy celery prefer? Greens grow on humus-rich soil. Sandy loam soil, loose with the addition of peat, is suitable. You can add compost in the fall, and get a harvest the next year.
Buy a plant with seeds or ready-made sprouts. If you decide to plant with seeds, then the following are gaining popularity.
Let's list the names:
- cheerfulness;
- kartuli;
- gentle;
- male.
We have purchased seeds, we will prepare for planting. First, we process it with potassium permanganate, spread it on wet gauze and wait for the shoots. Then you can start planting.
Prepare the soil in the fall, digging up the ground to destroy pests and weeds. In the spring, loosen with improvised tools and fertilize with nitrogen and phosphorus-potassium minerals.
Do not forget the flooded area in the spring nullifies the feeding in the fall. When applying during the planting period, then count on square meter up to 5 kg of humus, fertilizers, and complex up to 40 g per 1 sq.
In what period is it better to plant
You want to grow leafy celery, but you can't decide on seeds or buy seedlings.
Let's consider these methods. It is more economical to plant with seeds, because seedlings are more expensive. Just sowing and looking after the seeds will take some time and there is a risk that they will not sprout.
We decided to grow it ourselves, after processing and preparation, mix the seeds with sand so that they do not merge with the ground. Plant in the following mixture of equal amounts of humus, peat, sand and leafy soil. Place everything in the containers in which you are preparing the celery seedlings.
Start sowing in March. In boxes with special soil. Make rows, keeping a distance of 6-7 cm between them. Do not plant too deep, so that it is easy for the sprouts to break through. After sowing, sprinkle peat, humus on the surface, top up with earth. Seedlings will appear in 8-12 days. In the room, keep a temperature of 18–20 degrees.
The seeds have sprouted, lower the temperature to 14-15. Water the plant, put on sunny place... Grown as many as 2-3 leaves, transfer to a separate container. Don't forget to cut the root a little to get a nice, branched root system. Plant in the beginning of May in the ground.
Sticking to the 25 x 25 scheme, then leaf celery will not be cramped. Bought seedlings, check for pests or use lightly fungicides, then plant them in open ground.
Caring for leaf celery after planting outdoors
Let the seedlings grow strong, but decent care must be provided. And in order not to get sluggish leaves, water and feed the plant.
Celery doesn't like drought. Its roots are short, so it collects moisture from the soil surface. Water sparingly and without puddles to keep the root system from stripping and getting oxygen.
For this, choose calm days, the time of day is morning, evening. Never water during the day in the sun. Use a spray bottle, spray bottle, drip irrigation.
Two days before planting in the garden, water the plants with a fertilizing solution (place 5-10 g of superphosphate, 10-15 g of ammonium nitrate in 5 liters of water). During processing, do not get on the leaves, otherwise they will burn.
After planting, wait 15 days, apply a complex of fertilizers: sodium, potassium and phosphorus. Celery get all the necessary minerals for normal development.
Weed, get rid of weeds so that air flows to the roots. Celery may not grow among strong weeds.
That will block access to the sun, moisture and greenery will die. You can destroy it by mulching, cover the soil with agrofibre, sawdust. Thus, watering will decrease. Take care of the site, do not let the plants rot.
Final Step: Collect and Preserve Leafy Celery
It's time to harvest. 2 months have passed after planting, we cut off the grown leaves by 30-40 cm, repeat after 2-3 days. Allows you to save the required components. Take a height of 5-7 cm from the ground, so the underdeveloped leaves will not be damaged and will not rot in winter.
Methods for storing leaf celery:
- preserve with salt;
- dry;
- to freeze;
- in the refrigerator (not freezing).
Store the part of celery that you use within 10 days in the refrigerator; choose a foil package as it will last four days in polyethylene.
When drying, it decreases in volume; for this, lay it out in a dark, ventilated place. Spread in one layer, flip over periodically. Readiness is determined by crumbling leaves that have changed the light.
If you store it at home, you can dry it by laying it out on paper, then another on top, and on it another layer and further. It takes a month to dry in the room.
Freeze celery to decorate the dish, take beautiful, chopped green bushes, fill with water and freeze.
How to pickle? Take 500 g of leaves, pour 100 g of salt into a jar. Let the product stand for two weeks, then feel free to add it to the dishes. It is not necessary to put in the refrigerator, due to the salt, the leaves will not rot.
To the planned plantings on the site, add leafy celery. These greens will decorate the table and come in handy as a seasoning for a dish. Delight your loved ones with healthy products.
Photo of leaf celery
Grow on your own personal plot celery can everyone. This garden crop is a source of vitamins, benefits, \ both for women and men. Chefs from all over the world use the root vegetable to cook delicious soups, salads. Celery can be pickled and eaten raw. This vegetable is held in high esteem not only among chefs, herbalists and cosmetologists have long used it to treat many diseases and cooking cosmetics... You can grow celery yourself in your summer cottage.
Celery is an umbrella vegetable crop or a herbaceous plant. In the world you can find about 20 types of this useful plant, but only a few are popular.
In Russia, it is customary to grow biennial celery. It bears fruit (roots) and good greens in the first year of cultivation. For the 2nd year, celery will give lush bloom and fruits with seeds.
Types of celery
As mentioned earlier, there are many types of celery in nature, but we will consider only popular ones that are easy to grow and eat.
When growing leaf celery, we get succulent leaves with a bright green color. They can be cut throughout the summer. It is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and is often used in dietary meals.
Petiole celery is grown by small farms supplying fresh herbs to the markets of large cities. He has juicy large petioles.
Another variety garden culture- root celery. When ripe, roots are obtained from the plant. If the season is successful, then 1 plant can be harvested up to 1 kg.
Each vegetable variety differs not only in taste, but also in the area of application. On his garden plot several varieties of celery can be grown.
When choosing a variety of a useful garden crop, it is important to take into account the rate of ripening. If you buy celery in seeds, then all the information is provided on the package. If there is enough time and there is a desire to grow several types of celery at the same time, then you can choose different varieties- from early to late.
Growing leaf celery
Regardless of the type of plant, this garden crop loves quiet places growing on fertile, lighted soil. It is quite possible to harvest a good harvest even on slightly acidic soil and if you plant celery in partial shade. In this case, you can purchase an additional bonus in the form of fragrant leaves.
The leafy variety of celery is resistant to cold weather, so it will calmly endure spring frosts and can even overwinter in the soil (only adult plant!). When planted, early in development, celery will grow slowly and may appear to be "sitting" in one place. This is not scary, since the seeds of this garden crop are very, very small and there may not be 100% germination. It is because of this that experienced gardeners prefer to grow this spicy crop with seedlings.
How to prepare seeds
Growing celery from seeds is troublesome, but you can get a good harvest in the future. To improve the germination of small celery seeds, they must be properly prepared. Excellent results gives a weak, barely pink solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds are poured with rose water and left for 2-3 hours. After soaking, they are laid out on a gauze folded in several layers (previously soaked in water) and left for 3-5 days. During this time, the seeds will hatch, and it will be possible to proceed to the next, no less important stage.
How to sow celery seeds correctly
After preparing the seeds, they are planted in the soil. Correct soil consists of a mixture of sand, earth mixed with leaves, peat and humus. Each component must be taken in equal proportions.
Sowing seeds of leafy celery is carried out in early spring in specially prepared seedling boxes (it is better to use wooden ones).
The seeds are laid practically on the surface, and sprinkled with peat on top. To improve germination, the seed boxes are covered plastic wrap or transparent glass. Seedlings are not expected to germinate within a week. At this optimal time before germination, you need to maintain a certain temperature - it is important for the plant that the room is neither cold nor too hot - from 17 to 20 o C with a "+" mark. When the first shoots appear, the temperature in the room must be lowered to +15 o C.
When growing seedlings, it is necessary to control the length of daylight hours. Since this cannot yet be done in March, it is worthwhile to take care of artificial lighting seedlings. You also need to monitor watering - it should be moderate and only through a strainer. If you follow all the recommendations, then you will be able to grow strong seedlings, which will calmly transfer planting into open ground.
If something is not observed, then when growing celery seedlings, the greens can grow more actively. Do not miss the moment when the celery will release the first 2 leaves - you need to dive them and pinch the root. This will contribute to the correct development of the root system.
You can transfer seedlings to the ground at the end of April or in May. Planting of leaf celery is carried out at a distance of 20 cm from each other with mulching with sawdust or straw.
According to the rules for planting seedlings, it is necessary to wait for the plant to reach a height of 5 cm. In practice, this rule is not observed, because it will take a very long time, therefore, small sprouts of celery are planted in the ground. In the future, when caring for seedlings, it is important not to accidentally rinse or wash off immature plants. Therefore, in order to avoid loss of yield, it is recommended to wear only planted celery seedlings plastic cup(the bottom is cut off). A few days later or immediately after planting the seedlings, you can feed the plant with a liquid fertilizer suitable for the soil.
Celery care
Experts say that when growing and caring for celery, it is important to plant seedlings in the ground almost on the surface. Caring for the plant will not take much time and effort.
What is important to do:
- Weed weeds in a timely manner.
- Water systematically.
- Loosen the soil so that a hard earth crust does not form around the plant.
- Mulching of the soil is allowed.
- Water.
- Loosen the ground after watering.
Growing stalked celery
Petiole celery is a biennial plant, reaching a height of 30 cm. Common variety celery has white large stems, there are varieties with a stem color in red, pink and bright green colors... This type of celery is widely used for cooking fried, stewed or raw.
It grows well at temperatures no higher than 20 ° C, easily tolerates frost. Red-colored stems are frost-resistant.
You can grow stalk celery from seeds in the same way as leaf celery. There are no fundamental differences.
But when planting mature seedlings in the ground, you must follow these rules:
- Seedlings are transferred to the ground in grooves, with a depth of 10 cm.
- It is not necessary to sprinkle the apical bud with earth.
- Hilling is done only after the start of active growth, when the petioles become thicker.
- During the entire growing season, hilling can be done several times, which will free the petioles from light bitterness and get a more delicate taste.
An interesting method of growing stalked celery is bleaching. It can be strengthened if, 2 weeks before harvest, the petioles are tied and wrapped with dark paper. This method is acceptable only for plants that have reached a height of 45 cm. When wrapping with paper, leave the tops of the plant in the light (15 cm). This isolation of the plant from light will help to get absolutely white and juicy petioles when harvesting.
You can harvest in the middle of summer if the stalks grow a little. Young celery bushes do not dig out, but break off the lateral petioles. The harvest is massively harvested in late autumn. Ripe celery is dug up with a shovel, overgrown bushes are best removed with a pitchfork.
Care rules
Standard care for stalked celery is not significantly different. It is important to follow certain rules:
- Try to water constantly stalked celery... Be guided by the weather: if it rained, then watering should be skipped. The soil under the mulch will show you how to proceed.
- The soil should remain moist, but no stagnant water is allowed, so make sure that there is good drainage beforehand.
- Fertilization according to the advice of agricultural technicians must be carried out 3 times a month. It is stalked celery that is responsive to feeding. Remember the golden rule - in everything you need to observe the measure. Therefore, instead of frequent feeding with liquid fertilizers, it is better to water the soil with nettle infusion.
- You need to spud all varieties of celery, except for the self-bleaching one.
Storing stalked celery
- greens wither quickly, so after cutting them you need to rinse them thoroughly under running water, wait until they dry and wrap them in foil. Send the package to the refrigerator. For 10 days, the greens will remain fresh;
- you can dry celery like this: put chopped celery on a clean surface (sheet of paper), cover it with the same sheet. In a month, the spice will be ready. You need to store it in a paper bag;
- celery can be frozen - chop in a blender, add a little water, arrange in ice cube trays and send to the freezer;
- chopped celery can be stored in the freezer in tightly closed plastic containers.
How to grow root celery
This plant variety has a long growing season, so it is grown only in seedlings. The main condition for growing celery is that the crop is planted a month earlier. It turns out that the seeds need to be prepared in advance and planted in early February. It follows that in this dark winter month it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature in the room and provide at least 8 hours of daylight.
When growing root celery, consider this nuance: when the plant is gaining growth, it is allowed to collect the leaves, but only minimal amount and almost at the end of the season. Otherwise, all the nutrients will go to the leaves, and we need roots.
How to care
Caring for this type of culture is not very different from standard care: it is necessary to systematically loosen the ground, water celery, mulch, and remove weeds.
With the mass cultivation of root celery in the fields, agricultural technicians spud the fruits during the period of active growth. But experienced gardeners argue that this can be detrimental to the root crop. On the contrary, you need to remove soil from the top of the celery.
Prepare well for harvesting. Another 20 days before the start of collection, you need to pinch off the side leaves from the plant and remove the soil from the top of the celery. When the time is right, and this is approximately mid-October, you can start harvesting.
How to store root vegetables
To preserve the harvest, you need to cut the leaves and leave the stalks. If you plan to eat root vegetables in the near future, then it is enough to wrap them in foil and put them in the refrigerator. On long-term storage better to send the celery to the basement, put it in wooden boxes and sprinkle with a layer of sand (2 cm). Indoor temperature - not higher than +1 o C.
You can prepare celery for future use: grate and put in bags. Stored in freezer the root crop will be a whole year.
Disease and pest control
Growing any kind of celery can affect all your efforts if the plant is attacked by diseases and pests. This is especially dangerous during the period of active growth and maturation. You can stop bacterial spotting, rot, and other diseases if you adhere to the rules for growing a plant. Timely watering, preventing waterlogging and thickening of seedlings, weeding will help in the fight against pests and diseases.
You can get rid of such pests as snails, slugs, flies by spraying the plants. In addition, you can avoid the death and loss of crops in a simple way: planting celery interspersed with vegetables or herbs.
You can find a lot on the Internet delicious recipes that use leafy celery or stalked celery is easy to grow and suitable for our climate, so there's no reason to ditch such a healthy vegetable!
What determines the success in growing celery?
If you like to season dishes with fresh herbs and cannot imagine your site without green onions, dill and different types lettuce, be sure to pay attention to plants such as leaf and petiole celery. Do not be afraid of the specific aroma and spicy taste of greens, so great that you should definitely include it in your diet as a seasoning or as a side dish for main courses.
Another question is how to grow a petioled or leafy vegetable correctly in order to obtain plants with rich aroma, lush foliage, elastic stems and excellent taste? To do this, you need to take into account some of the nuances that will be discussed in this article.
Celery planting video
It is recommended to place the beds in places open to the sun, but this plant also feels good in a light shade, and its foliage becomes more fragrant in such conditions. The most suitable temperature for a plant is about +20 degrees, in temperate climates it grows best and can even tolerate light frosts. Varieties with reddish petioles are especially frost-resistant.
Celery seed
For growing celery, fertile soils are preferable, sufficiently loose, drained and at the same time capable of retaining moisture. The acidity should be neutral, but if the soil is acidic, lime must be added to it before planting.
Do not plant a vegetable next to parsnips, otherwise both plants may suffer from the same pest - a celery fly.
Varieties
Leafy and petioled species contain essential oils that give it its characteristic aroma and taste, stimulate appetite and digestion. In cooking, they are traditionally added to soups, sauces, salads, vegetarian pies and canned food.
Celery is a difficult vegetable to grow, but because of its taste and healthiness, it's worth the effort and planting it in your garden.
The best varieties to grow
In nature, celery is a biennial plant. In the first year, it produces a rosette of leaves and a root with numerous lateral roots that grow to a depth of 20 cm.In the second year, shoots appear on which inflorescences consisting of small yellow flowers... In vegetable gardens, to obtain marketable products, the plant is grown as an annual. 
There are many varieties on the market, both petioled and leafy. They usually vary in size, ripening time or marketability. There are varietal and hybrid plant varieties. For cultivation in the Russian climatic zone, such petiole varieties as Atlant, Malachite, Golden are optimal.
You can find out more in the corresponding article on our website.
Of the leafy varieties, according to gardeners' reviews, such varieties as Kartuli, Zakhar are in the lead. They quickly grow green mass and are distinguished by high yields.
If you are planning to grow celery at home, the choice of variety can be a decisive factor in determining the yield of the plant, its appearance and taste.
How to grow celery seedlings
In our climatic conditions both root and leaf species are grown only from seedlings, because the seeds need enough high temperatures for germination. It is a plant with a long ripening period. The vegetable grows best in fertile, loose, moisture-retaining soils. Both plants love well-lit areas or light partial shade. They do not grow in acidic soil.
Celery develops slowly in the early stages of growth, so it is necessary to select the right site for planting. Best neighbors for him - beans, peas, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots and onions. He doesn't like the company of potatoes and corn. The smell of the plant has a deterrent effect on a number of harmful insects, for example, white butterflies.
Video about growing stalked celery
A leafy appearance requires a minimum of hassle - growing it comes down to weeding, loosening row spacings and regular watering. It is only important when planting not to forget to place the growth point above the ground and constantly monitor that a crust does not form on the bed (mulching the soil will help to avoid this).
Plant care: rules for watering and feeding
The leaf and cuttings varieties have high requirements for the nutritional value of the soil, both in terms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The recommended soil pH is 6.5 - 7.5. If the indicators on your site are higher, the soil should be deoxidized using liming (preferably in autumn) with the addition of magnesium or dolomite flour. 
Organic fertilizers for this crop:
- humus;
- granular or dried manure;
- compost;
- liquid fertilizer based on fermented grass;
- vermicompost (fertilizer produced by earthworms).
Mineral fertilizers:
- One-component. They should be used based on the results of a chemical analysis of the soil. The analysis shows which nutrients (micro and macro elements) are missing in the soil for growing a given plant.
- Complex. When using them, pay attention to the content of chlorine and sulfur. Celery is chlorophyll, which is why we use fertilizers that contain chlorides. He does not like sulfur, so it is advisable to abandon sulfate fertilizers.
For good yields of petiole and leafy species, use the following care tips:
- Shelter with agrotextile. Young seedlings are sensitive to low temperatures, therefore, in the first period after planting, it is worth covering the garden bed with a layer of agrotextile. To prolong the fruiting of the culture, the same technique is used in the fall to protect the greens from the first frost.
- Mulching. Plants respond well to mulching, which significantly limits the growth of weeds in beds, promotes better preservation moisture, protects from overheating.
- Weeding. Loosening the soil has a positive effect on the growth and development of the bushes. The soil in the aisles is processed using a cultivator, flat cutter or hoe.
- Watering. This vegetable needs moist soil for proper development. Daily watering is required when the mass of greenery grows, after - as needed.
Celery diseases and pests - prevention and control
Plant diseases can significantly reduce the yield from the site. Learn how to recognize symptoms and learn how to deal with plant diseases.
The culture may suffer from problems associated with the defeat of fungal infections or a deficiency in the soil of one or another trace element. Light green or yellow leaves can be associated with a lack of boron in the soil. Education brown spots on the cuttings says the need for molybdenum. These troubles can be prevented by introducing a complex fertilizer during planting, containing all the necessary trace elements in full.
Diseases arising for physiological reasons include the death of the tips of the leaves. This problem is caused by excessive humidity in July and August, with cool weather and heavy rainfall. Multicomponent fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and magnesium help to correct the problem.
Alarming symptoms such as discoloration and spots on leaves, wilting of plants or inhibition of their growth may indicate the occurrence of fungal disease... The most common ones are presented in the table below.
Name of the disease | Signs of infection | Prophylaxis | Treatment |
Celery septoria | The first signs of infection can be seen even on seedlings, they are expressed in brownish spots on the cotyledons and leaves. A few weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground, dark brown spherical growths appear on the leaves and petioles of the infected plant. A source of celery sepsis infection can be infected seeds and leftovers from last year's soil. The development of this disease is facilitated by warm and wet weather summer. | You can avoid the problem by choosing disease-resistant varieties, purchasing seeds treated with a fungicide. | Once signs of septriosis have been detected, diseased plants are best removed. On early stages treatment with drugs Amistar250SC, Quadris can help. |
Early burn | it fungal disease that affects all species. The causative agent of this disease is the fungus Cercospora apii, and the source of infection can be infected seeds and spores that have survived from last year. The symptom of the problem is growing spots. The tissues of the affected part of the leaves gradually turn yellow, brown and dry out. Plant growth is significantly weakened. | In the area where diseased plants grew, celery cannot be planted again for 3 years. | Dealing with early burns is identical to the previous example. |
You can cut trench petiole varieties at the end of autumn or dig them up as needed. Self-bleaching varieties are ready for harvest 12-15 weeks after planting in the ground. And leaf celery begins to be cut for greens as early as July, as soon as it becomes clear that removing several stems will not harm the main plant.
Material updated on 28.02.2018Growing celery is not such a difficult task, but there are some nuances to be aware of. Considering that this plant has several species, I will tell you about the peculiarities of growing each of them.
Despite the fact that celery was known as far back as Ancient Greece, it began to be widely cultivated relatively recently. It gained particular popularity due to its properties, which I will talk about a little today. I will definitely tell you about why celery is useful for the garden and how it is used. Well, most of all I will pay attention to growing celery and caring for it. You will also see a useful video about growing root celery with minimal cost time.
What kind of "fruit" is this and what is it like?
You've probably seen celery root. At least, the root of celery root has certainly been met in the market or in the supermarket. But still, I will dwell a little on how celery looks like.
Celery (lat. Apium) is a plant of the Umbrella or Celery family. In nature, there are about 20 species of wild celery. Among them, the most famous is aromatic celery, which is a vegetable crop.
This plant is biennial. It is grown for one year to obtain greenery and roots. In the second year, the plant blooms, forming a fruit with seeds.
In fact, it is a herb with simple, pinnately dissected leaves. The flowers of the plant are small, collected in inflorescences (simple or complex umbrellas).
The fruit is achene.
Celery root - pivotal. And yes, root celery has a core one too. If you pull the whole plant out of the ground in your country house, you will see it. It's just that its feature is this - to form a thickened part of the root - a root crop.
This plant reproduces by seeds, but since they germinate for a long time, you need to grow seedlings. This will help you get good harvest... Note that seed germination improves over the years. So seeds that have lain for 3-4 years will sprout better than those harvested last year. This applies to seeds collected personally by you or someone you know, as you cannot know exactly when you collected seeds sold in stores.
Types of celery
There are three types of celery: leaf celery, stalked and root celery.
Leaf celery is grown primarily for its vitamin-rich leaves. Celery leaves are cut throughout the growing season, from spring to late autumn.
Petiolate celery is grown for the sake of obtaining juicy stalks. They begin to be removed at the end of summer. Well, root celery is famous for its root crops, which reach 400-800g by autumn. You can also collect leaves from root celery, but there are some peculiarities here, which I will talk about later.
Celery varieties
Celery varieties differ not only appearance, but also taste, properties and application. The choice of a variety is a strictly individual matter.
Modern domestic and foreign selection offers huge selection varieties of this vegetable crop. The following varieties are widely known among gardeners:
- leaf celery - "Vigor", "Zakhar", "Kartuli", "Tender";
- stalked celery - "Golden", "Malachite", "White feather", "Junga";
- root celery - "Gribovsky", "Root mushroom", "Diamant", "Esaul", "Maxim".
There is early varieties, as well as varieties of medium ripeness and late, therefore, when choosing them, pay attention to the ripening time.
How to grow celery?
Growing celery different types about the same, but with some peculiarities. What the plant has in common is that the plant prefers areas with a sufficient amount of light and fertile, loose soils with a neutral or slightly acidic environment. But it can grow in a light shade. In this case, its leaves become more fragrant.
Well, now in more detail about the cultivation of different types of celery.
Growing leaf celery
Leaf celery is a relatively cold-hardy plant. Its seedlings tolerate light frosts, and adult plants overwinter easily.
The plant grows slowly in the initial period of development, and very small seeds germinate for a long time. That is why this culture is best grown by seedlings. But you can also plant seeds in early spring straight into the ground.
First, the seeds are treated with special solutions: a weak solution of potassium permanganate or other organic solutions. Then they are germinated on wet tissue and sown in specially prepared boxes. For the soil mixture, peat, humus, leafy soil and sand are taken in equal amounts.
Sowing is done in early March. The seeds are sown, sprinkled with peat on top and kept at a constant temperature (18-20 ° C). Pour gently through a fine sieve. If all pre-sowing measures are observed and fresh seeds are used, the first shoots appear on the 5-6th day, after which the temperature is lowered to 14-15 ° C. To obtain strong seedlings, it is important to create the necessary temperature and light conditions, otherwise the seedlings will stretch out.
The next step in growing leaf celery is picking. It is carried out when the first two true leaves appear on the plants. This technique promotes the formation of the plant's root system by pinching the main root.
Then the seedlings are hardened and planted in the ground in April - May according to the 25 × 25 cm scheme.
Celery care
It is important to know that this plant does not like deep planting, so the growing point must be located above the ground. Celery care is simple. It consists in loosening row spacings, weeding out weeds and regular watering. Also, be careful not to crust the soil, as celery doesn't like this. By the way, it will be a very good helper in growing celery and caring for it, which will cut your work at least in half. Mulching will help to get rid of tedious weeding and loosening of row spacings, and will also prevent a crust from forming on the soil.
You can start harvesting leaf celery in July - August.
How to Grow Root Celery?
Root celery should be grown exclusively seedling method as it has the longest growing season (150-190 days). Because of this, seeds are sown even earlier than those of its leafy relative, namely in the 1st - 2nd decades of February. When growing seedlings, remember to double dive. In this case, each time it is necessary to shorten the main root by a third.
Remember, talking about the types of celery, I said that when collecting its leaves, you need to take into account some peculiarities? So, by mid-August, organic substances that are synthesized in the process of photosynthesis leave the leaves and accumulate in roots. Therefore, to obtain large roots of celery (more precisely, root crops), DO NOT cut the leaves during the summer.
A few weeks before harvesting the celery, the lower lateral leaves and shoots should be torn off, as well as partially raked off the ground.
Caring for root celery is the same as for leaf celery. But there are also some peculiarities. So, for example, celery root does not need hilling. On the contrary, it is contraindicated, otherwise many lateral roots will form, root crops will grow ugly and with a poor presentation. To avoid this, you should even rake the soil off the top of the root celery. Also, during the growth of the root crop - from June to October - monitor the condition of the soil. It must be moist, but not wet.
Harvesting begins around October.
And here is the promised video on growing root celery:
Features of growing stalked celery
The agrotechnology of growing petiolate celery is similar to that of leaf celery. The only difference is that it needs more intensive hilling, so the seedlings are planted in grooves 10 cm deep. At the same time, the apical bud is not covered with soil. After the beginning of intensive growth and thickening of the petioles, the plants must be earthed. If necessary, hilling is repeated.
This cultivation feature allows you to get the so-called bleached petioles. They are more tender and have no bitterness.
To obtain bleached petioles, such a technique is also used. 2 weeks before the start of harvesting, the petioles are tied at the top and wrapped in paper. Before freezing, the petioles are removed.
If you prefer stalked celery, pay attention to the varieties of foreign selection. She offers self-bleaching varieties (Selebrity, American Green). Such varieties do not need to be hilled, but they are poorly resistant to cold.
Celery diseases and pests
The plant is most often affected by such diseases:
- bacterial leaf spot;
- heart rot;
- rot at the base of the stem;
- "Black leg";
- viral leaf mosaic;
- white rot of the stems.
The main method of combating diseases in the cultivation of celery is strict adherence to agricultural practices. The most important of these is pest control - the main vectors of diseases. The main pests of celery are slugs, snails, carrot fly larvae, and scoops. Pest control measures consist in the observance of the following agrotechnical methods: crop rotation, weeding, watering, thinning of crops. Well, also good method- this is mixed landings with other vegetables and herbs.
Most probable cause rot infestation is stagnation of water and, as a result, waterlogging of the soil.
How celery is used
Celery has a bittersweet taste and exquisite aroma. In this vegetable crop, depending on the type, all parts are used: leaves, stems, roots, seeds. Root crops and seeds can be used both fresh and dried. Celery leaves can be frozen.
Greens - leaves and petioles, as well as celery root are used in cooking and home canning. They are added to salads, vinaigrettes, drinks, sauces, soups, main courses, boiled for making side dishes and pates.
The seeds are used to flavor table salt and produce the so-called celery salt.
The dried and milled pieces of celery are used as component part a variety of spicy mixtures.
Why is celery useful and what are its contraindications?
By the way, do you know how celery is useful for the garden? Yes, yes, it is very useful. Firstly, earthworms love to be in the roots of celery. And you probably know what exactly they create the most fertile part of the soil, that is, humus. Take care of them and plant or sow celery in a circle, at least in one place. It will be a kind of house for earthworms. So, as you can see, growing celery will benefit your garden.
It was also noted that if you plant celery next to cabbage, then it will be protected from cabbage whites and earthen fleas. It also grows well next to tomatoes, bush beans and, oddly enough, leeks.
How is celery good for humans?
Celery has many health benefits. It contains vitamins such as vitamins of group B1, B2, B6, C, E, K, PP, as well as provitamin A. Celery is rich in micro- and macroelements, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, zinc, magnesium , manganese. There are other useful substances, incl. insoluble fiber, essential amino acids (lysine, arginine and histidine), essential oils. Even the substance coumarin has been found, which helps prevent cancer.
Celery is a powerful aphrodisiac, so it is good for men as well.
Contraindications to use and use
Celery is contraindicated in pregnant and breastfeeding women as it can make the belly swell up and reduce milk levels. Also, be careful with celery if you have varicose veins, stomach ulcers and urolithiasis.
Yes, celery is a very healthy vegetable. It doesn't matter if you grow stalk, root or leaf celery. The main thing is that the plants collected from their site will bring you double benefits. After all, they are grown with care and love!
Growing celery on your site is quite a feasible task, because it is quite unpretentious. In addition, now you know about the peculiarities of growing different types of celery.
I advise, dear readers, not to miss the publication of new materials on this blog.