Celery or Apium Graveolens
Celery requires moisture retentive soil, but not a soil that is waterlogged.
A porous substructure to the soil will stop any rotting of the stems in winter.
The crop can be sown at the end of March beginning of April, place in a sunny position for those of you that require Celery in autumn and winter.
If the soil is light the more it will benefit from older manure or compost when it comes to earthing up.
Preparation is the key, it is better to dig a trench and bring and place the soil on either side of the trench. The fill the trench with well rotted manure or compost.
The act of earthing up is done regularly as the plants mature. The crop should be ready for harvesting, about six weeks after the final earthing up.
It's okay to Plant young seedlings in early July.
The act of earthing up will protect the plants from frosts in the winter and many traditional gardeners will use straw or bracken to protect the tops in very cold winters.
The crops sown in early July will be ready in January February, making it a useful crop for the winter salad.
Be careful when harvesting that the ground is not frozen solid as separating the stems cleanly from the soil would be virtually impossible.
It it is essential to keep on top of watering.
Earthing up its done once the plants are about a foot high and continued, as they grow. The earthing up, actually blanches the stems too.
Here are some varieties that I would like to mention:
Hopkins Fenlander is one of the more flavoursome varieties and it is pale green when blanched.
Lathom self blanching, is a variety that is compacted habit and can be grown in the March April sowing, but not so good for July sewing as it does not winter as easily as a trench variety that has the old compost and manure heaped up to it.
Victoria, can be grown as a self blanching form or as a trench variety.
I hope this gives you an insight to those of you who have never grown celery before and I hope you'll give it a go and report back to us, on how you got on. Good luck!!
