- Choose a sunny site with fertile, moisture retentive soil – dig in plenty of compost or organic matter before planting
- Celeriac is better grown in the ground or in raised beds
- Plant 40cm apart
How to grow... Celeriac
Rocket Growing Guides
Celeriac is one of those underrated vegetables that is not the most beautiful looking, but is truly tasty! We’re very much rooting for it and would like to see it gaining a little popularity in the kitchen. Celeriac is a tricky plant to grow from seed so we do all the difficult bits for you and deliver you great plants that will thrive once planted in your garden.
The real key to growing these brilliant veggies is to keep them really well watered…
- Celeriac Growing Guide
How to Plant Celeriac
How to Grow Celeriac
- Celeriac is a thirsty plant – it will produce much better sized root if you keep it well watered and avoid letting the soil dry out.
- Mulching will really help during hot, dry spells
- We’d recommend watering daily during dry spells so that the soil stays consistently moist.
- Feed with a liquid feed in the summer months
- Once the crown is visible above the soil, remove any side shoots that appear off the sides of the vegetable by pinching them off (you only want to let the main vertical shoots grow)
Common Pests and Problems with Celeriac
- Celeriac root is not forming properly – small sized roots, or no roots at all, can be attributed to lack of water and/or nutrients. If they are grown in fertile soil and kept well watered, the roots should swell quite nicely in late autumn. Another possibility is that the plants are too close together.
- Slugs can sometimes bother celeriac, although they do tend to choose other plants in the veg patch first. Still, it is worth protecting younger, more vulnerable plants. Keep plants protected from slugs and snail by placing beer traps and keeping the plot weed-free and free from slug-friendly hiding places.
- Celery fly – these tend to damage leaves, so shouldn’t hurt the celeriac itself. However, if you do see grubs burrowing in the leaves, cut off affected leaves and discard. Check regularly and pinch off any affected foliage
How to Harvest and Store Celeriac
- Celeriac takes a few months to fully mature so will be ready for harvest between late autumn and mid winter.
- If you are leaving it in the ground during the colder months, protect from frost by mulching with straw.
- It’s best not to leave them in if there are very heavy frosts forecast or snow.
- Once harvested, remove the foliage and celeriac will store in a sack in a cool, dry place, or in the fridge, for a couple of weeks or so.
