Celery is known for its crispness that adds flavor and crunch to salads and snacks, but it requires careful cultivation to develop to perfection. A cool-season crop, celery requires 16 weeks of cool weather to generate the leafstalks, which are the edible part of the plant. The plant needs moist, fertile soil and suitable spacing to develop.
Spacing
You may sow celery seeds directly outdoors in late summer to acquire a drop or early winter crop. Seeds sown in the garden ought to be one-fourth to one-half inch deep and 6 to 10 inches apart, with 24 inches between rows. You may also start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost for your area, and set out transplants 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost. Transplants are implanted outside in 3-to 4-inch trenches with 6 to 10 inches between plants and 24 inches between rows.
Blanching Celery
Blanching celery is a way of blocking sunlight from the stalks, but allowing the leaves to obtain sunlight. You may blanch celery by mounding soil up around the a creating cardboard obstacle that blocks the sunlight 2 to 3 weeks before harvest. This practice produces pale, sweeter stalks, prevents bitter-tasting celery and protects the plant from frost. But blanching also lowers the celery’s nutrient value. There are self-blanching varieties and they need the same farming practices as the green celery, except that you leave 6 to 12 inches between plants.
Container Plants
You can develop celery plants in five-gallon buckets or choose any container that’s at least 8 inches deep and provides sufficient space to plant the seeds 6 to 10 inches apart. Sow the seeds in precisely the same thickness for outside gardening, between one-fourth and wrap inch deep. Container plants need more water, so check often to make sure soil is kept moist and do not allow it to dry out.
Tips
Celery requires a sunny location together with frequent watering and feedings. The plants require at least 1 inch of water per week from rain or watering. Soak the soil when watering, as lack of water produces stringy stalks. The plants require aged compost tilled into the soil before planting and side-dressing with compost in mid-season. Some company plants for celery include spinach and lettuce. Avoid planting cucumbers, pumpkins and squash, as they are antagonistic crops for celery.
