Growing and caring for celery in open ground

Celery ― a unique vegetable, known since ancient times. It was previously believed to bring good luck and protection. And only from the 17th century. they began to eat it. All parts of the plant are used: tuberous root, succulent petioles and tops similar to parsley.

We'll tell you how to grow leaf, root and petiole celery in the country.

Types of celery

The vegetable has approximately 20 varieties, divided into three types. Let's look at each subspecies separately.

Sheet

Already from the beginning of June, celery pleases with fresh and healthy greens. It is used to prepare salads, added to first and second courses, canned food, and for the winter dried and frozen.

Reference. Late varieties are bred only by seedlings, early varieties are sown directly in the garden.

Root

This type of celery is harvested in late autumn, almost before the first frost. However, rounded and grown roots can be used throughout the summer. Salads are prepared from celery root.

Reference. This type of vegetable is grown exclusively from seedlings.

Chereshkovy

Such celery collected already at the end of summer. Salads are made from it, like cucumbers and tomatoes. Also added to vegetable stews and soups. Store the vegetable in the refrigerator or cellar.

Reference. Like leaf celery, late celery is bred by seedlings, and early celery is immediately planted in the beds.

Growing large celery from seeds in open ground

Since the growing season of celery lasts 120-170 days, it is grown mainly by seedlings.

How to grow seedlings at home

Leaf celery is planted for seedlings 56-61 days before planting, and root celery - 2 weeks earlier. The seedlings are transferred to open ground in early May.

Since the seeds contain essential oils, which slow down the process of swelling and germination, the wait for seedlings can take up to 4 weeks. To speed up the process, the seeds must be cleaned.

Several bubbling methods are possible:

1. Soak the seeds in water for a day, then place them in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 45 minutes. Rinse with water and dry.
2. Place the seeds for 30 minutes in water heated to +50...+53°C, then leave them in warm water for 2 days, which needs to be changed 6-7 times a day. Then spread evenly on a paper towel to dry further.
3. Place the seeds on damp gauze, cover with it and leave for 5-7 days.

Grow celery from last year's seeds, because they have a short germination period. After a year, their potential will decrease significantly, and after another year it will be completely zero.

As soon as the seeds have sprouted, they are planted in pre-prepared containers filled with a substrate of sand and vermicompost in a 1:1 ratio. There are several more options for prepared mixture for sowing, which is evenly distributed in a container for planting seeds and moistened. Next, shallow holes of 0.5 cm are formed at a distance of 8-10 cm.

Sprouted seeds are mixed with sand and sown in prepared furrows. They are sprinkled on top with a thin layer of sand through a sieve, covered with film and left at a temperature of +22...+25°C until germination, while constantly moistening the soil.

As soon as the first shoots appear, the temperature is reduced to +13...+16°C to avoid improper formation of plants.When the first leaves appear, pick with the root clamped by 1/3. This helps root celery to form a large and rounded root crop, and petiole and leaf celery to form a branched root system.

Transplantation into open ground

Celery shoots are planted in mid-May. Neighbors in the garden bed can be all kinds of vegetables and nightshades.

Attention! There is no need to rush into planting seedlings, as the coolness of May can trigger flowering already in the first year. As a result, there will be no roots or petioles.

Deadlines

The shoots are replanted when 4-5 leaves appear, when the stem reaches 13-15 cm, after 55-65 days from the appearance of the first shoots. Root celery cannot be overcooked, otherwise the chances of getting a good harvest will decrease. A few hours before transplanting into open ground, seedlings are watered generously with water so as not to damage the roots when removing them from molds or boxes.

Where to grow

The area for planting the crop is prepared in the fall. The soil is dug well to a depth of 27-30 cm, fertilized abundantly with humus (20-40 g) and mature compost (10-15 g) per 1 square meter. m. The second soil preparation is carried out in early spring using the method of deep loosening. The soil is fertilized with part of the mineral fertilizers - 5 g of potassium and 10 g of phosphorus per 1 sq. m.

Reference. You can carry out one-time preparation: during pre-planting loosening, add a complex of fertilizers (35-50 g per 1 sq. m) - “Kemira”, azofoska, nitrophoska, etc.

Rules and landing algorithm

For root celery, the distance between the bushes should be 40-50 cm, as well as the gap between the rows.

When planting petiole and leaf bushes, the distance between the bushes is 15-20 cm, and the row spacing is increased to 30 cm.

Reference. Celery is planted between rows of potatoes, garlic, onions, cabbage, cucumbers, etc.

How to grow:

1. When planting, add a handful of ash and humus to each hole, mix them well with the soil and deepen the seedlings to the growth point.
2. The soil around the seedlings is compacted well and watered abundantly.
3. In the first days, the seedlings are protected from direct sunlight with an artificial awning.

How to care for a vegetable garden

Any type of celery requires timely watering, weeding, loosening and fertilizing. To avoid dehydration and saturate the roots with oxygen, after planting, the soil around the seedlings is mulched with sawdust, mowed grass, and peat.

Petioles and leaves are spudded 2-3 times per season, which stimulates the development of the root system. The root one, on the contrary, is unplanted to prevent the appearance of additional roots and to form a rounded fruit.

Stem celery is bleached 2-3 weeks before harvest, which helps reduce the pungent odor and concentration of essential oils. To do this, the stems are collected and carefully wrapped in paper to prevent sunlight from entering them.

Watering and fertilizing

This crop is a moisture-loving crop, so it needs to be watered regularly, at the root. The procedure is carried out once a week at the rate of 20-25 liters of water per 1 square meter. m. During drought, irrigate daily. The soil should always be slightly moist; drying out of the soil is unacceptable.

During the season, 2 fertilizing with a complex of organic and mineral fertilizers is quite enough. The first is produced in early June, when the plant has strengthened, the second - a month later.

Prevention of diseases and pests

Protect the plant from diseases and pests only with biological preparations. The use of chemicals is unacceptable.

Types of diseases:

• rust;
• white rot;
• bacterial rot;
• downy mildew;
• cucumber mosaic.

For preventive purposes, it is recommended to spray with the biofungicides Trichodermin, Planriz and Fitosporin. In damp and cold periods, the biological product “Phytodoctor” is used. All these products are absolutely harmless to humans and animals.
You can avoid spraying by following all the above rules for seed preparation, landings and further care and cultivation.
Pests:

• borscht (celery) fly;
• carrot fly;
• bean aphid;
• whitefly;
• carrot psyllid.

The most effective means in the fight against these pests are “Lepidotsid”, “Boverin”, “Bitoxibacillin”, “Gaupsin”, “Fitoverm”, etc. Their combined use with biofungicides significantly increases efficiency.

Reference. In order to avoid treatment with drugs, it is necessary to keep the beds clean, promptly remove weeds and plant debris after harvesting, and carefully dig up the soil.

What does celery look like in the garden?

Celery is a biennial herbaceous plant that grows up to 1 m in height and has a thickened root. In the first year of life, it forms a root and a rosette of pinnately dissected dark green leaves, and already in the second year a stem develops. By mid-July, white-green flowers bloom on it, forming an umbrella.

The celery root crop has a double, rounded shape with thread-like formations in each half. Three types are cultivated: leaf, petiole (stem) and root.

Sheet

They are grown to produce juicy greens enriched with vitamins throughout the summer. It does not form a root crop. The most popular varieties:

• Zakhar;
• Gentle;
• Sail;
• Samurai;
• Spartan;
• Cheerfulness;
• Kartuli.

Chereshkovy

This species is valued for its fleshy stems, the thickness of which reaches 45-50 mm. Like a leafy one, the root crop is not developed. Popular varieties:

• Tango;
• Gold;
• Triumph;
• Malachite.

Root

It is grown exclusively for the sake of obtaining a root vegetable that reaches 450-950 g. In terms of its healing qualities, it is compared to ginseng root. There are early, medium and late varieties.

Early:

• Cascade;
• Prague Giant;
• Kornev Gribovsky;
• Apple;
• Diamond.

Average:

• Esaul;
• Egor;
• Strongman;
• Albin;
• Giant.

Late:

• Maksim;
• Anita.

Conclusion

Celery is an unpretentious vegetable crop. The seedlings sprout thickly. To stimulate better growth and get a rich harvest, it is necessary to adhere to the agricultural techniques for growing celery and the rules of caring for it in the open ground.