How to grow Celery

A growing guide for how to grow and harvest Celery in the home garden.

Celery requires rich, moisture retentive soil with plenty of compost mixed in.

Plant Celery in a full sun to afternoon shade position. 

Celery will tolerate light frosts.

Plant Celery around 45cm apart.

Celery is a cool season crop and is usually planted in autumn, depending on your climate.

Celery grows best in temperatures between 15-21°C (59–69.8°F), however it will tolerate temperatures between 5 and 27°C (41–80.6°F). 

Seeds can be sown indoors in late summer and seedlings transplanted in autumn. Seeds can also be sown in autumn. 

If transplanting, plant out in the early morning or evening and/or on an overcast day. Avoid planting at peak sun times or on windy days, this will allow your plants to settle in comfortably and protect them from windburn and sunburn.   

 Apply an organic fertiliser throughout the season. 

Celery bunches can be harvested whole, or if you prefer, you can harvest the outer stalks as you need them. This extends the harvest throughout the season. 

Pests that affect Celery include: Aphids, Slug, Snail, Armyworm, Root Knot Nematode, Earwig, Leafhopper. 

Diseases that affect Celery include: Blight, Brown Stem, Soft Rot, Celery Mosaic, Downy Mildew, Fusarium Yellows, Pink Rot, Powdery Mildew. 

Keep the soil moist in dry weather.

Dark green Celery can be quite bitter to taste. This is generally fine for cooking, but can be unpleasant to eat raw. Excluding light from the stems or "blanching" will produce paler stalks that are much sweeter in taste. When plants are close to harvesting, wrap the celery plant with thick newspaper, leaving the leaves sticking out at the top. The stalks will be pale and ready to harvest in around 2-3 weeks.