Celery+Cold = ??

[Kirk]

Does celery handle cold as in can it be overwintered or is it certain death ?

May have worked it out:- if they grow in year 1, and seed in year 2 then they have to survive a winter.

[Scarlet]

Yes, (only tried them twice, both ocassions it was a waste of time) but assuming it's a bit like parsnips and will just go to seed in the second year its pretty inedible....but I found this:
The Same Celery Plants, Year After Year

Might be worth a try?

[lolie]

Does celery handle cold as in can it be overwintered or is it certain death ?

May have worked it out:- if they grow in year 1, and seed in year 2 then they have to survive a winter.

How cold? I've left celery in the ground for a couple of years and it's survived a few frosts without problems. I did find that the taste changed over time, so I'd probably only grow it as an annual now.

[Scarlet]

I'm surprised that you can grow it in Aus and it didn't bolt or run to seed Lolie. Celery is a bog plant, requires lots of water and can get heat stress with a drop of a hat. I'm on clay and I just couldn't keep it well watered in our hot spells.

[lolie]

I'm surprised that you can grow it in Aus and it didn't bolt or run to seed Lolie. Celery is a bog plant, requires lots of water and can get heat stress with a drop of a hat. I'm on clay and I just couldn't keep it well watered in our hot spells.

I have no idea why it survived. The last two summers have been absolutely brutal. It did share a raised bed with tomatoes, and I was watering those twice a day in summer.

I've sown new celery seeds so it will be interesting to see how it fares this time around. I've given up on trying to make sense of why some things grow against all reason and others fail in perfect conditions.

The variety was Tall Utah, which I believe is more prone to bolting in cold weather. Sydney tends to get mild winters, but dry ones (and I can count the number of frosts we get in an average winter on one hand). Our annual rainfall is higher than that of London, though.

[Scarlet]

The variety was Tall Utah, which I believe is more prone to bolting in cold weather.

It is natural to set seed. Plants will set seed with the change of the seasons, usually the end of the summer in annuals. Others will overwinter and throw up it's flowering stalk the following year, sometimes allowing for a small crop before the woody stems come in. When it's starts to throw up its flowering spikes the taste changes and becomes bitter. (chard doesn't seem that much different, but lettuce is disgusting)
Bolting is setting seed too early - before the plant has had it's full season - when a plant bolts you don't manage a crop as it's gone to seed before it's time.
Just surprised that you haven't seen any evidence of flowering if you've kept it in the ground for two winters.

[KevinM67]

I lifted my remaining celery yesterday as the temperatures have dropped recently.

Absolutely gutted that most of the stalks has orangey holes and appeared hollow inside.

Is this some sort of pest damage, slugs possibly ?

[Scarlet]

I think it's called celery heart rot - caused by slugs....but it may be something else.
It says in this article that you can take offshoot and pop them in water ...VC" one for you! Go dig one out of the compost Kevin and split it up!

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edi...ry-bottoms.htm

[KevinM67]

Go dig one out of the compost Kevin and split it up!

Thanks for that Scarlet, but I poured a bucket of my self-made fertilizer (using copious amounts of consumed lager) over the compost bin yesterday.

Cheers for the link though.

[Scarlet]

Don't be squeamish!

[KevinM67]

Don't be squeamish!

I might ask my young lad to do it (what he doesn't know won't harm him).

[Snadger]

I love taste taste of celery. I've tried growing it but the slugs got it. tried self blanching celery but it was as tough as old boots.
Tried celariac and got tiny roots the size of a golf ball.

Last year i grew Kintsai, but although it was listed as everlasting, it went to seed then died!

This year I have grown celery leaf, both outdoors and indoors so i should be able to see if the frost affects it!

What i have noticed is that I sowed it early and it has just been dormant for most of the Summer. Only recently has it started to grow. I can only conclude that day length plays a big part in its growth cycle? I now have some usable leaves so will cut some back and see if it invigorates it!

[Scarlet]

Ive never tried celery leaf but I think it may be on my try list for next year - presumably it is also a biennial?
I'm another that loves celery and celeriac and I don't have much luck with either, I'm on clay with a water meter so no hope for me keeping it well watered"

[KevinM67]

Go dig one out of the compost Kevin and split it up!

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edi...ry-bottoms.htm

I had to re-visit this post (and thread).

Celery shooting out all over the compost pile when I checked it today.