Have you thought about growing celery in your garden? Here are some tips to do so.

Andy Rideout
·2 min read

In our region, it seems few home gardeners grow celery. A commonly used vegetable, celery is not difficult to grow and is useful in the kitchen. It's confusing why home gardeners generally don't include it in their spring garden planning.

Maybe knowing a little about the culture of celery is partly a reason.

Celery enjoys full sun and will tolerate partial shade. It also does fine in clay soils that may remain wetter than other soils as it was originally a wetland plant. Celery is shallow-rooted and a lack of water will make the stalks more fibrous and bitter tasting.

How do I grow celery in my garden?

Growing celery starts early in the spring. Here are some tips:

  • Start seeds indoors 10-12 weeks before the last frost and make sure to not cover seeds with soil as they need light to germinate.

  • In 15-20 days germination should be evident and in five weeks, the plants should be ready to move to the garden.

  • Plant them six to 12 inches apart around April 1.

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What pests do you need to look out for with celery?

Celery typically has few pests. Insect pests include aphids, cabbage loopers and cutworms. You can effectively use floating row covers or stem collars to control. Insecticides are available for more severe cases.  Some diseases that affect celery include leaf blights and celery mosaic virus. Black heart is often referred to as a disease but actually is a calcium deficiency, similar to blossom end rot in tomatoes. A little lime application should help with Black heart.

Celery grown in the garden.
Celery grown in the garden.

Which variety of celery should you grow?

There are many varieties to choose from, but I would try to select a proven variety for the Ohio Valley climate and soils.

Conga, Merengo, Samba, and Tango are good ones and Samba and Tango are resistant to fusarium, a soil fungus that can have detrimental effects. Tango is also considered to be sweeter and mor tender than others.

Mars and Brilliant are two other varieties that are considered good choices for home gardeners or market growers in our area.

P. Andrew Rideout is the UK Extension Agent for Horticulture and can be reached at pandrewrideout@uky.edu.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: How can I grow celery in my garden?