I started some celery seeds under grow lights a while back, and yesterday I transplanted the young plants out to the garden. As long as you keep your celery plants watered, it’s about as low maintenance as it gets. Celery seems to thrive up here in the Northwest because of our cool spring and fall temperatures and it especially LOVES growing in my shady backyard.
Brief description: Celery is a versatile little veggie. You can eat the stalks, leaves, roots and seeds.
Where to Plant Celery: Celery does best in a cooler climates out of direct sunlight. It is a great choice for shadier areas of your yard {though, it still needs some light}. You can grow it in garden beds, raised beds, or containers.
Planting Seeds: Press seeds into the surface of the dirt. Thin to 1 seedling per pot {or every 6″} when they are 1″ tall. When plants are about 6″ tall, harden them off before planting.
Growing Tips: Celery likes fertile well-watered areas and does not tolerate the heat very well. In the south, it can be grown all winter. In the far north, it thrives in the spring. In most other areas, it really thrives as a fall crop.
How to Harvest: Cut the stalks off just above the soil line. You can also harvest single stalks, if that is all your recipe calls for.
Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.
Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!
~Mavis
Gardening books hold kind of a special place in my heart. I wouldn’t be the gardener I am today {or maybe not a gardener at all} if it weren’t for a few gardening books I picked up years ago. I spent almost the entire winter of 2008/2009 reading up on gardening. I found some incredible reads that taught me so much and made me realize how much I didn’t know. So I’ve never stopped reading gardening books.
Here are just a few of my favorites, although if we’re being honest, narrowing this list down was virtually impossible. Gardening books are right up there with the bible {okay, not quite, but you get the idea!}.
My Favorite Garden Books:
- Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting
- The Complete Compost Gardening Guide
- Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
- Sugar Snaps and Strawberries
- The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
- The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook
darlene says
Thanks for posting this! I wanted to try my hand at celery this year but wasn’t sure how to proceed :). Is it too late to start some seeds? We live in Oregon, so I think we should have about the same grow season.
The crock pot chicken soup recipe is one of our favorites now too. I made it back in December after you posted it and the family LOVED it! I can’t decide between this one or the creamy chicken recipe. Loved them both <3
Mavis says
Nope. Start the seeds now and plant them in the shade. 🙂
Carolyn says
Do you think celery could be planted in a pallet garden bed or does it need more room for it’s roots? Thinking of putting a pallet in a shadier area for lettuce, etc and wondered the possibility of throwing in some celery as well.
winfu says
You can grow celery straight from the stalks you buy at the grocery store. I just cut the ends off, put it in a little water (the ends) until it grows roots and then stick it in the ground. Works great and doesn’t take nearly as long!
tc says
I too get the ends for free from my local co op as they often cut them off and just sell the rest of the celery, it grows so well but it does need a lot of water or it can get bitter.
Just ask at your grocery store if you can get the ends of the celery they throw away.