Healthy celery not hard to grow

Celery, a less commonly grown vegetable, is often included in the “dirty dozen,” a list of vegetables best consumed if grown organically.

Fresh celery, whether raw or cooked, is packed with calcium, sodium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc and potassium along with several vitamins and fiber. Celery or celery leaf is also used as an enhancement in many dishes, providing complexity without taking a leading role.

That distinctive flavor can be provided by stalk celery ( Apium graveolens), cutting celery ( A.

graveolens var. secalinum) and the perennial herb lovage ( Levisticum

officinale), whose leaves are redolent of celery. Cutting celery and lovage are simple to grow, but stalk celery requires time and a few extra steps after transplanting starts in the spring.

You can often find celery transplants at your local garden center. If starting from seed, check the catalog description to find the best variety for your garden. ‘Tango’ and ‘Ventura’ are two readily available varieties. Celery takes 80-120 days, depending on variety, from transplant to maturity. It takes even longer when grown from seed.

Germination success is best at a soil temperature between 59 and 70 degrees, with 7-12 days to emergence. Grow lights will bring your seedlings to a strong, approximately 6-inch transplant in 10-12 weeks after germination.

Time seeding by the variety you choose and when you plan to harvest. A spring seeding in March will yield starts ready to plant in spring for a summer harvest. Seeding in May will produce seedlings ready to plant in the garden in July, with a fall harvest.

Spring seedlings should not be transplanted until temperatures are consistently 50 or above, usually late May through mid-June. Lower temperatures can cause bolting. Celery is a cool season crop and can be grown with just 4-6 hours of sunlight.

Ideal growing conditions include soil pH of 6-7 with high levels of organic matter. Provide consistent moisture. Mulch will help to maintain moisture, decrease soil temperature and provide weed control. Plant seedlings 9-12 inches apart. This spacing, along with weed control, provides good air circulation and aids in preventing disease. Container planting is another option. Choose a container at least 8 inches deep. Plastic planters are best as they allow more consistent moisture than a clay pot.

Diseases and pests that may impact celery include leaf blights and aphids, which can cause celery mosaic virus. Their impact can be reduced with proper spacing, weed control and consistent moisture. Crop rotation is also beneficial. For more information, go to: http:// ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/selectnewpest.

Individual celery stalks can be harvested once the plant is about 8 inches tall, or harvest the entire plant by cutting below soil level. There are self-blanching varieties such as golden selfblanching celery ( A. graveolens var. dulce). Stalks can also be covered with brown paper several weeks prior to harvest, leaving the top leaves showing. Blanching will lighten the color, make it sweeter and more tender. However, blanching decreases nutritional value. Celery can be preserved via freezing or dehydrating techniques.

Cutting celery, sometimes found in the herb section of seed catalogs, grows as a dark green clump with a habit similar to parsley. Individual leafy hollow stems can be harvested for salads, soups, stews and preserving. My favorite cutting celery is ‘Afina.’ It takes just 60 days from transplant to maturity and regrows for continual harvest. It may set seeds and sprout the following year.

A simple addition to the herb garden or landscape, lovage is an easy-to-grow perennial herb that reaches 3-6 feet tall. As with celery, it likes moist, rich, welldrained soil. The leaves and young stalks have a strong celery flavor so a little goes a long way! Stalks can be used in place of celery in drinks and seeds can be crushed and used in cooking. Lovage seeds have a mild anise flavor.

Lovage’s lime green flowers are reminiscent of Queen Anne’s lace and attract beneficial insects, making it a great pollinator plant. If grown as a background plant, its lacy leaves add delicate texture to the garden. Historically the dried hollow stems have been used as flutes.

Sources

Fedco seeds: www.fedcoseeds.com

Johnny’s Selected Seeds: www.johnnyseeds.com