Growing Instructions for Celery

Season: 

Summer and Winter 

Celery is mostly grown as a cool weather crop and thus grown in winter, but can also be grown in the cooler months of summer (beginning and end of summer), as it prefers moderate temperatures. 

 

Position: 

Semi-shade (summer) and Full sun (winter) 

In winter, Celery can be planted in full sun, but in summer, it should be grown in semi-shade or under a 30% or 40% shade netting. 

 

Soil ph: 

Between 5,8 and 6,8 

 

Watering needs: 

In summer, water regularly – at least 3 times a week. In winter, once or twice a week should be sufficient. 

 

Possible pests & problems: 

Slugs and Snails (sometimes) 

Aphids (at base) 

Celery can get infected with Celery Mosaic virus 

Can get root rot if overwatered. 

 

Maintenance & Extras: 

Celery is quite easy to grow as long as you keep the soil moist by using mulch. Extra protection against heat and sunlight is needed during the mid-summer months. About 6 hours of sunlight is more than enough for Celery. 

 

Additional fertilizers: 

Foliar feed (once a month) 

Root feed (once a month) 

Top up with Vermicast once or twice during the season. 

 

Harvest: 

You can wait for your plant to fully mature before you harvest, or you can start harvesting individual leaves when the plant reaches about 20 to 30 cm in height. Always pick the outer leaves first, as the new leaves form from the middle of the plant. 

 

Cultivars: 

Celery is a popular herb, although it is usually thought of as a vegetable. There are many different celery varieties, grouped under two main categories: Leaf celery and Stalk celery. The leaf celery varieties are used for their big leaves and the stalk varieties are used for their stalks (which is what celery is most famous for). You even get varieties with coloured stalks, like the Peppermint Stick Celery. Some Celery types need blanching to get the white stalk and other types are picked green. (“Blanching” means that you have to cover the stalk with soil or with a brown paper bag in order to keep the sunlight out. This will cause the stalk to be white instead of green). Celery is part of the carrot family (so is parsley). It is a bi-annual and thus grows for two seasons, but will produce less foliage in its second season. 

 

General: 

Celery is easy to grow during cool and/or cold months and likes to be kept moist, but not wet. In some areas, you might struggle to keep celery alive during the hot mid-summer months. 

Celery can be grown in containers of at least 20 to 30 cm deep. 

Celery can be planted with leeks, onions, spinach, tomatoes and the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, etc.)