Can I treat celery as a perennial?

[bazzaboy]

"Perennial" in the sense of lasting two years (rather than ever-lasting...). Here's the tale and why I'm asking the question. Last autumn I was quite pleased with myself for having grown a healthy bed of celery - had some which was fine but left most of it in as frosts began in the belief (true?) that celery improves with a little frosting. But it wasn't just a "little frosting" this Winter and we had local records of minus 20C in December which of course devastated the celery top-growth and left it, once the thaw came, a soggy sorry mess. Then the interesting bit... when I raked off all the soggy slimy top growth it was very evident that the roots had survived and were now trying to throw up new leaves... So the question is: Will those new leaves grow into edible stalks of celery or, although alive, are these plants done for and any new growth will be tough, bitter, and running to seed?

[taff]

I think, but I'm not certain, that celery flowers in it's second year. I've got some left in a bed doing the same thing, but I will let it flower, just for the seeds, also some celeriac that didn't grow very big, I'll leave it do the same thing.

[Two_Sheds]

"Perennial" in the sense of lasting two years ?

Biennial then? It is

[bazzaboy]

Biennial then? It is

Aha, thanks 2S, well that being the case it's not going to be edible in Year Two, is it? Are there any biennials we eat in the SECOND year? (e.g. onions sets are still in Year 1 aren't they?) Duh, I think my celery has had it then and I don't want the seed (so miniscule isn't a teaspoonful enough for several acres and I only need a few!) Ah well, not for the first time, back to the drawing board...

[Snadger]

I suppose you could still use the celery foliage and little stems for flavouring up until it runs to seed?

[bazzaboy]

Good thinking Snadger, and thanks to Taff too... The answer seems, as so often, to be a bit of a compromise, keep a few to see what happens and use as best fits, use rest of bed for something else (so what follows celery in the Great Rotation?). Not sure I ever needed 50 plants, just seemed a good idea at the time

[wollyanna]

Whilst we are talking celery does anyone know the variety of the famous Fenland Dirty celery which most of the chefs rave about. I know it won't be the same because of soil conditions etc but the variety might be worth giving it a go. Sorry to butt in.

[Two_Sheds]

the famous Fenland Dirty celery

Never heard of it! I found it via google though: Celery - Ingredients a-c - Ingredients - from Delia Online

"White winter celery is taller and larger than the summer varieties. As it grows it is ‘earthed’ up to blanch it and that Fenland ‘black’ soil not only adds the dirt but the flavour too"

[grannymem]

Never tried to grow celery - is it difficult and does it need a lot of space ?

[Mrs Dobby]

We grew celery specifically for seed, the seeds are great to use in soups and stews, give the celery flavour and store very easily. We grew ours 2 years ago, and am still using the seeds (you only need a pinch crushed in the pestle and they add all that celery flavour!) so you could leave them be and harvest the seed!

HTH

[lilylady]

I have celery that has been around for several years

I started some from seed, and some was the center of some organic celery bought at the store that I just buried the bottom stalk in the ground and watered them. Both just keep going and going and going.

I let them go to flower, then cut the flowering stalks off when it started to go to seed. The plants don't seem to mind, and I was astonished to see them just put out new leafy stalks.

We cut the stalks as we need them. If I remember to water them profusely, the stalks are nice and plump, full of moisture. I'm thinking they are actually bog plants, suited for really moist soil and semi shady conditions.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Welcome to the Vine, Lilylady!

Interesting stuff - I know from other threads that celery (and its relative celariac) are bog plants, and hope to grow successful celariac this year.

Where do you garden, and what do you like to grow?

[alldigging]

Get some lovage - tastes like celery apparently and goes on and on...

[taff]

it's much stronger, with a weirdy aftertase, i really like it and the maggi sauce stuff [like soy but nicer] has it in spades.....very nice on pirogi...

And yes, celery is a bog plant.

[veggiechicken]

Lovage is green and pickable almost all year round. Why is it that the plants that I only eat a little of at a time, grow into huge clumps.........