How to grow... Celery

Rocket Growing Guides

celery

Celery has a bit of a bad reputation for being tricky to grow, but the good news is that we do all the hard work for you. So when your baby plants arrive they are easy to grow successfully. There are two types of celery, self blanching and trenching. Ours is the Prinze variety which is self blanching, which basically means that you don’t need to dig a trench for it or worry about earthing up.

  • Planting Tips
  • Growing advice
  • Chef's Corner
Choosing a site for growing veg

The right site

Celery loves deep fertile soil that is very moist but not boggy! Plenty of organic matter is essential. It prefers acid to alkaline conditions, so never give it lime.

growing veg in pots and raised beds

Can be grown in....

Raised beds or pots/containers.

Autumn Winter Large Vegetable Garden

How far apart?

25cm apart.

When your plants arrive....

Your baby plants will arrive carefully packed in straw. They may look a little tired from their travels. This is quite normal but, as soon as possible, carefully unpack them all.

Each type of plant will have an identification label to help you spot which they are. Lay them out into their respective plant types (e.g. lettuce, cauliflower, peas). Then, stand them upright, being especially careful with the ones that aren’t in bio pots. The roots may be dry, so give them all a good drink of water by submerging the roots for a few minutes in a container of clean water.

Now you are ready to plant your Rocket Garden. Try to do this within 24 hours of the arrival of your plants.

Looking after your plants....

We’ve deliberately chosen a variety that is easy to grow. Follow these few golden rules and you should get a good crop.

celery

Remove side shoots

As the plants develop cut off the side shoots so that they shoot straight upwards.

celery

Feed them if growing in pots

If your celery is growing in containers or pots, it’s best to add a liquid feed every 2 weeks.

celery

Keep them well watered

Celery needs moist soil to grow successfully, so make sure you give them plenty of water and don’t let them dry out.

Watch out for....

  • Slugs

They're ready to harvest when....

Celery will reach its full size in the Autumn, between August and October. When your plants are big enough, you can simply cut them off at the stalk.

Storage Tips

Celery will keep well in the fridge but it’s best to harvest as you want to use it.

Ways to cook

As well as being good in salads, celery is great for making stock – make a mirepoix by roughly chopping celery, carrots, onions and leeks, and boil these either on their own for half an hour for a veggie stock, or add them towards the end of chicken stock.

Recipe Idea

Coming soon!

Types to try