Planting Celery

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Planting Celery

Celery andclosely related Celeriac both belong to thegenus Apium of the Carrot or UmbelliferaeFamily which includes some 20 species ofherbs that are best adapted to the northerntemperate zone.

Celery is one of the more difficult crops togrow in the home garden because it requiresmore detailed care than most other crops. It is acool weather plant and, therefore, in the southit is grown as a winter and spring crop andfarther north as a summer and fall crop.

The more important commercial productionareas are located in Calif., Fla., and Ariz. in thesouth and N.Y., N.J., Mich., Ohio, Pa., andWash. in the north.

Varieties

Green varieties have increased in importanceand the so-called yellow or self-blanching typeshave decreased in use during the past 20 years.The most important green varieties are 'Utah', ofwhich there are number of strains, 'GiantPascal', 'Summer Pascal' and 'Fordhook'.Varieties in the self-blanching category are`Golden Self Blanching', 'Wonderful' or 'GoldenPlume', 'Michigan' and 'Detroit Golden'.

Soils and Fertilizers

No garden crop grown is such a rich feeder asCelery. The soil must have depth, mellowness,and an abundant supply of moisture. A well-drained muck or peat soil is ideal but mosthome gardeners will find a sandy loam soil thatis well supplied with organic matter to be verysatisfactory. A heavy clay soil should beavoided. The soil pH should range between 5.8and 6.7.

For sandy loam soils, 3-4 bushels of animalmanure or a well-decomposed compost per tooft. should be thoroughly plowed or spaded intothe soil to a depth of 7-8 in. Celery is a heavyfeeder and a poor forager and, therefore, inaddition to the manure or compost it is advisableto broadcast, at the time of plowing or spading,30-40 lbs. of a 5-8-7 or a 5-to-to completefertilizer per moo sq. ft.

Raising Plants from Seed

Most home gardeners will find it more de-sirable to buy plants from a dealer or commercialgrower. Celery seed is small, germinates slowlyand must have careful attention as to tempera-ture and soil moisture during the germinationperiod.

The seed should be planted in a very lightsandy soil, preferably in drills 11-2 in. apart andnot over W in. in depth. After the seed iscovered a piece of burlap or even a newspaper isplaced over the flat or container to help main-tain a uniform moisture of the soil during thegermination period. A temperature of 70°-75°F. is optimum.

The young seedlings are very delicate andspindly until they reach a height of I-1-2 in.When the second true leaves appear the plantsshould be transplanted into a good pottingsoil 11-2 in. apart. Maintaining a uniformmoisture and temperature is very important inproducing a good stocky plant. Temperatureexposure of 50° F. or below for 7-to days ormore will result in premature seed-stalk develop-ment. Some 8-9 weeks are necessary beforeplants are ready for out-of-door planting.

Planting and Care

The garden soil should be fine, smooth,moist and fairly firm and the plants stocky, 4-5in. tall with plenty of roots. Out-of-doorplanting should be delayed until danger of frostis past. Planting distance, 5-6 in. in the row and24-30 in. between rows. In planting set theplants level with the crown of the plant or notdeeper than they were in the flat or seedbed.The young plants should be watered dailyuntil they are well established.

Shallow cultivation should start as soon aspossible after planting in order to controlweeds and to maintain a thin, loose surface ofthe soil.

Celery will respond to several applications ofnitrate of soda during the growing season.Each application of 3-4 lbs. per too ft. of rowshould be placed several inches from the plantson both sides and then lightly worked into thetop surface of the soil. Watering will help tomake the fertilizer available to the plants.

Blanching and Harvesting

Blanching means the loss of green color andsince it is known that the green color of plantscontains a higher vitamin A content than non-white parts the'demands for blanched celery hasmaterially decreased.

Blanching of the self-blanching or early typesis usually done by the use of 12-in.-wide rolls ofheavy building paper or to-t2-in.-wide boardswhich are placed on either side of the row ofCelery and then held together by wire hooks.In warm weather the plants will blanch in aboutto days.

For the late varieties the most satisfactorymethod of blanching is to gradually pull soilaround the plant until only the top of theleaves show above the mound. No soil must beallowed to fall into the heart of the plant. Thistype of blanching should not be done until latein the fall or when the plants are fully grown.Placing hay or straw over the hilled row willmean that the plants can be kept until earlywinter.

There is no definite stage of maturity at whichCelery must be harvested. Its best quality is

Blanching Celery with boards, black poly-ethylene, or paper.

attained when the plants have reached full size.In harvesting the plants are cut off below thesurface of the soil with a large knife. Pull offthe outside stalks and use them for celerysoup or flavoring.

Storage

The fall crop of Celery may be stored forperiods of 4-8 weeks. Perhaps the most practicalmethod for the home gardener is in using atrench in the garden area. Three to 4 rows ofCelery are packed tight and upright in thetrench. Boards are set against the side and overthe top of the trench. Hay or straw is thenplaced over the boards and as colder weathersets in a layer of soil is placed over the hay.Cold frames may also be used to storeCelery forshort periods.

Diseases and Insects

Celery is subject to a number of diseases andinsects, but only a few are generally of im-portance. Early and late blight are carried overfrom year to year in the seed and on oldCeleryplant refuse. In the home garden the mostsatisfactory control is the use of a copper-limedust or Bordeaux mixture (4 oz. copper sulphate,4 oz. hydrated lime to 3 gals. of water) as aspray applied at weekly intervals.

Bacterial leaf spot, root rot and yellows are other diseases which may be important. SeePLANT DISEASES.

Insects that may be important are the carrotrust fly (see CARROT Insects) and the tarnishedplant bug. The latter insect may be controlledwith dimethoate. Be sure to read the label. SeeINSECTICIDES.

Two physiological disorders are frequentlyimportant, namely, black heart and crackedstem. Black heart first shows as a tip burn onyoung leaves and then spreads to the heart tissueof the plant which in severe cases is killed andturns black. This condition probably is due to adeficiency of calcium and an imbalance of othernutrient elements in the soil. Cracked stemresults in brownish cracks and lesions on theinner and outer surface of the leaf petiole. Thiscondition can be controlled by adding smallamounts of borax, 2 oz. per 3o lbs., to thefertilizer used prior to planting or in applyingborax as a solution near the base of the plant.

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