celery

[pwlynch]

Last year I got some celery plants from Aldi,they grew great and tasted fantastic but were very stringy and I could really just use them for making soup.I'd like to grow celery this year,are they quite easy to grow from seed?What is the best kind to get?I live in Fife by the way.

[taff]

I always get seedlings because I can't be harrised with the seeds. Then feed them lots, water them lots, and I means lots and lots and lots, and you shoud be ok.
The best ones I had for eating before were ones I grew in tanks without any drain holes, and i kept the soil quite boggy.
There quite a few pests that like to munch or live in them, so beware of those.
The seeds aren't too bad really, but they're just more fiddly, being so tiny, and I'm heavy handed.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Celery is quite easy to grow from seed but the seed is incredibly small. So sprinkle on top of pre watered compost and then just press lightly in. Prick out when big enough to handle. celery is a bogplant and as Taff says, they love lots and lots of water so don't let them dry out. If you do, you risk them bolting

[Alison]

Don't really like celery much (hate it raw) so probably don't give it the attention I should but can get it to grow perfectly well and it never bolts but doesn't really produce anything much edible either. Can't be lack of water last year either as it never stopped raining!

[pwlynch]

Thanks for the replies,I'll have a look at which celery plants I can get online.I have a soggy bit of ground so will plant them there.

[zazen999]

You can also grow it in pots, sat in trays that you keep an inch deep in water. The advantage of this is that if you add seaweed feed to the water it really gives the celery a tasty kick.

If you grow 4, you can harvest from them in turn and leave the base and it will grow back for you time after time.

[veggiechicken]

Like the sound of that Zaz ^^^^ How many plants in a flower bucket?

[zazen999]

Like the sound of that Zaz ^^^^ How many plants in a flower bucket?

4.........

[ancee]

Zazzen! My jaw just dropped! I love all this advice! Who knew you could do that?!!! I have some celery seeds (Giant Pascal) and am now a bit worried, as on the back of the packet it says approx 1750! Now, I love celery but.....! Why on earth do they give you so many???
If anyone wants some send me a pm and i'll post some out! 1750???? As If!

[taff]

well, if you accirdentally spill a bit a grow too many, you can do the micro veg thing and chuck the seedlings into your salad...lovely.....

[zazen999]

Zazzen! My jaw just dropped! I love all this advice! Who knew you could do that?!!! I have some celery seeds (Giant Pascal) and am now a bit worried, as on the back of the packet it says approx 1750! Now, I love celery but.....! Why on earth do they give you so many???
If anyone wants some send me a pm and i'll post some out! 1750???? As If!

As Taff says - you can grow more, and cut and come again. Like baby celery. Sow loads on a tray, sat on a bigger tray kept wet and snip off what you want as you want it.

[legume]

Thanks for the tip about growing just four in a container - didn't know that was possible, but it's the perfect solution for me (I just need a bit of 'cut and come again' for soup/stock, not rows of the stuff).

Should celery be grown in full sun (but with soil kept boggy) or in dappled shade?

[Rhona]

I quite fancy trying the baby celery idea. We don't use tons of it - mainly in cooking. In previous years, and before we had enough space to grow with any abandon, I used to buy a fully-grown plant with roots from the Chinese supermarket and just planted it up in a pot and cut bits off when needed. How cheaty is that?

[Patchninja]

Will deffo try that traytrick. I planted some out last year and I had been told to water so i did, but obviously nit nearly enough. The plant grew about 2 cms all summer

[chris]

I've got a packet that I bought last year, some self blanching thingy. Are they better undercover?