Because it can be used in a number of ways at the dinner table, knowing how to grow celery in your garden at home can be a useful and tasty skill. Celery is used in many soups and stews, chicken or tuna salads,and fresh vegetable salads, and it makes a great snacking food for youngsters and adults, particularly with cream cheese or peanut butter and raisins. Celery has a super crispy and succulent texture, with a hint of its own salty flavor.

Celery is a unique vegetable, as we actually can use the majority parts of the plant. The stalks can of course be eaten raw, while the leaves and roots are used for celery powder or celery spice. It's a biennial plant, meaning it naturally dies two years from planting it. Don't worry, though, as you can have celery for your kitchen in a matter of months.

Types of Celery

The variety of celery that was first grown in the US, and still remains the most well-known, is Pascal celery, generally known as just "green celery", from Kalamazoo, Michigan. But you can find other varieties to try in your garden.

Utah celery is a thicker version, and Golden Heart is an heirloom variety. There is also the French Dinant, which has an earthy flavor and aromatic stalks, which is why it's used in soups and has also gained the name "soup celery". There are also some varieties with red or yellow stalks, such as "trench celery" and "rosso di torino" ("rosso" means "red" in Italian), and Gilded Celery, which has a yellowish color.

Growing Celery

Beginning with the soil, it should have a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. It's also very important to have high levels of calcium to fend off "black heart", which we'll look at later. So prior to growing, treat it with a 16-16-8 fertilizer, half a pound per 25 square feet, as well as a sprinkling of bone meal or another source of calcium. Celery roots are very shallow, so you need to make sure that the upper soil levels have plenty of nutrients.

While celery prefers to be cool, it can't handle frosts (due to its very high water content), and it dislikes very high temperatures. So it's best to start celery seeds indoors at the end of winter, which you can then transplant once the soil warms up and you get past the last frost. After planting the seeds, wait 2-4 weeks, until they grow about 4 leaves. Then plant them in the soil so that only the leaves showing above ground, and put them at one plant every foot.

To care for your celery, think about adding a layer of dark mulch to the surface near the plants. The dark mulch absorbs the sun's energy, heating up the soil, while at the same time offering another layer of insulation to keep the soil warm longer and preserve moisture. This is crucial, as celery is very sensitive to frost damage, as it has a high water content. Make sure you are well past any frosts before planting.

Give your celery about 1-2 inches of water per week. Since celery is very sensitive to the water it receives, you need to stay on top of this. If it doesn't receive enough water, the consistency will be very stringy, with a strong flavor. Apply another round of fertilizer about 6-8 weeks after putting the seedlings in the ground, as well as additional bonemeal or calcium supplement. 

Your celery will be ready to harvest in 2-4 months, depending on the variety you planted. The base should be around 3 inches in diameter. To harvest, simply chop off the stalks right at ground level. Use the outer stalks for cooking, and the more tender, inner stalks for eating raw. Celery can keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Celery Problems

The principal celery pests are aphids. You'll notice curled leaves, indicating aphids have been around. To remedy this, apply a solution of soapy water and alcohol.

If you see white spots on your celery's leaves, this is a sign of mildew. Physically remove or clip the affected areas and keep an eye out for a resurgence. You can try not to get water on the leaves or stalk of the plant, or try to improve the air circulation so that the mildew doesn't get an opportunity to grow.

Lastly, black heart develops when the soil is deficient in calcium, as mentioned above. Prevention is the best medicine here, which is why applying bone meal to the soil is a good precaution. Black heart starts at the leaves, leaving them black and wilted, and may spread quickly through to the heart, which will kill the whole plant.