CELERY

Who would ever have thought that celery could be so delightfully delicious! Celery was never much of a garden standout for us until chancing upon a superb variety from Territorial Seed Company named Utah 52-70 R Improved. Oh, my. This celery is crunchy and juicy with a "sweet, rich, nutty flavor."  
Nothing compares.

2020 UPDATE !!!

Sad to report that my 2019 and 2020 patches of Utah 52-70 R celery matured with hollow stems. Every single plant! It was such a surprise and disappointment in 2019 that I did research on hollow celery. I was careful to start and plant four separate small batches in four different ideal garden locations in 2020. A total of 40 plants. Same results. All hollow stems. 

And, I see that this variety is not offered in the 2021 Territorial Seed catalog. I have grown Territorial's TANGO celery variety in the past and enjoyed it. So, I will grow TANGO and also hunt for other varieties to sample.  

CELERY Utah 52-70 R Improved

Celery needs to be started early in the season. The tiny seeds usually take about 2 to 3 weeks to germinate. Take a  casserole or bread sized container with drainage holes in the bottom. Fill it with seed starting or potting soil. Moisten the soil well. Place the container(s) on a tray of some sort to catch any water draining out through the bottom. 

Now you are ready to sprinkle the seeds on top of the moistened soil. As tiny as these seeds are, it is difficult to spread them evenly and keep from using too many. Take your time and be careful. Or, maybe try using something like a salt, pepper or herb shaker. There are commercial items designed for just this purpose as well. Once the seeds are in place,  cover the entire surface ever so lightly with about 1/8 inch of fine sand. Fine sand on the surface seems to improve water absorption by the seeds and dry soil below... and it prevents seed disturbance when water is gently sprinkled on the surface. It is no challenge for sprouts to emerge through the sand. If you do not have sand, simply use soil.

Yes, it is snowing! 
I brought the containers and tray outside for no other reason than to take the photo. 
It was irresistible to show the crocus coming up through the snow. 
I quickly returned the entire set-up indoors to its' cozy home on a heat mat!

Now that the seeds are in place, as gently as possible, water the surface. Cover loosely with clear or translucent plastic. I cut open and use plastic bags such as this recycled produce bag from the grocery store.

Celery seeds and starts do not like cold soil. Try to keep the soil temperature reasonably warm anywhere between 55 and 70 degrees. Place the tray with container(s) on a seed warming mat or your warmest location. Make sure this is a well lit location. Celery seeds need light to germinate! Not direct sunlight. Just a well lit location. 

Are you thinking it is a hassle to start celery seeds? 
Yes, it is. 
But, it will be well worth the hassle!

While you are waiting for the celery seeds to germinate, remove the plastic cover and gently water whenever the soil is not plenty moist. Replace the plastic cover. Once the tiny celery starts emerge, remove the plastic cover permanently and thin (remove) any plants that are too close together. The plants will grow happily in the original container for 4 to 6 weeks indoors in a warm, well-lit location.  

Time to remove the protective cover. The fragile, tiny celery starts have appeared!

The next step is to remove all of the celery plants from the container. 
Gently separate the plants from each other.  
Place each plant in its own 4" pot along with potting soil.
Set the potted plants on tray(s).
Move the trays of celery plants out to a cold frame or greenhouse.
Water well.

                                                                                                                                                                     photo by Hope Merritt
Several trays of celery plants are growing in our greenhouse
in the center rear of this photo.

Remember, celery does not like cold soil. Wait until the soil has warmed considerably if you are planning to grow your celery outdoors. 
Maybe wait until late May or even early June. The plants will be quite large in their 4" pots and will have a considerable amount of root. Once planted outside in fertile soil, cover the celery bed with a floating row cover permanently to promote warmth. Remove the floating row cover periodically to weed. Then replace the cover. Celery does not like dry soil, so water regularly if it is not raining. No need to remove the floating row cover to water. 

Celery growing outdoors under floating row covers.

Unfortunately, slugs are attracted to celery. Slugs tend to crawl inside the stalks and heart areas and munch away. I check the plants every so often and pluck any slugs out with a long needle, long tweezers or something similar. Reaching in with your fingers will be frustrating and even destructive because the slug usually slides off fingers and down deeper into the celery plant!


We keep a dozen or so celery plants growing inside on the soil floor of our greenhouse. Because of the warmth, they mature sooner than outside and are not bothered by slugs. Rather than harvest the entire plant, we twist and pull off as many celery stalks as we plan to eat... and leave the rest to grow and be harvested well into winter. That is, if we haven't eaten it all before winter!

Stalks are harvested from the outside of plants...
leaving the remaining plant to continue growing.

                                                                                          photo by Hope Merritt
Harvesting an entire celery plant from a bed outdoors.

As you probably know, there are endless ways to enjoy eating celery. Try plain and raw,  swiped with cheese or peanut butter,  cooked into soups,  added to stuffings or added to fresh juice: