How to grow Celery

Apium graveolens

Full Sun
OR
Partial Sun
High

The plants are raised from seed, sown either in a hot bed or in the open garden according to the season of the year, and after one or two thinnings out and transplantings they are, on attaining a height of 15–20 cm, planted out in deep trenches for convenience of blanching, which is affected by earthing up to exclude light from the stems.¹

Celery requires a sunny location along with regular watering and feedings⁴. The plants need at least 1 inch of water per week from rainfall or watering⁴. Soak the soil when watering, as lack of water produces stringy stalks⁴. The plants need aged compost tilled into the soil before planting and side-dressing with compost at mid-season⁴. Celery is a heavy feeder⁵.

Celery can also be grown in containers – choose 5-gallon (20 litre) containers that are at least 8 inches (20 cm) deep⁴. Container-grown celery will require more water.

Harvesting Celery

Requires about 16 weeks to harvest. You should aim to grow about 5 plants per household family member⁵.

Seed Saving Celery

Seed viability is five years.

How long does Celery take to grow?

These estimates for how long Celery takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Celery to germinate?: 13 days
Average 13 days | Min 3 days | Max 30 days (110)
Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Celery?: + 27 days
Average 27 days | Min 9 days | Max 75 days (5)
Days to Maturity How long until Celery is ready for harvest / bloom?: + 118 days
Average 118 days | Min 67 days | Max 169 days (21)
Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Celery?: = 158 days

When should I plant Celery?

Our when to plant Celery estimates are relative to your last frost date.

When to sow The number of days to sow Celery before or after your last frost date.: 91 days before Last Frost Date
When to plant out The number of days to plant out Celery before or after your last frost date.: 21 days before Last Frost Date

Other names for Celery

Chinese celery

Apium graveolens L.

Footnotes

¹ Wikipedia entry for Celery

² Primal Palette Companion Wheel

³ Smiling Gardener’s chart

⁴ http://homeguides.sfgate.com/spacing-celery-plants-53749.html

⁵ Harvest to Table: Celery