Home-grown crunch

Discover the joy of growing your own celery from scratch, whether in your garden or a pot, with the flexibility to pick as many or as few as you desire.

Do you ever buy a whole bunch of celery from the grocer, only to use a few stalks? Why not grow your own? You can harvest as many or as few as you please over two or three months. Perfect for use in salads, soups, stews or raw snacks – dipped with hummus, yum! It does take a little time and care, but once you have that right, it will be the plant that gives on giving.

How to grow celery in a garden

Fill starter pots or trays with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix. Sprinkle seeds over mix, lightly cover and gently water. Keep the soil moist throughout germination – this can take up to 2-3 weeks or longer in cooler conditions.

While the seeds are germinating, choose a sunny spot in the garden and prepare the planting area well by digging in Yates Thrive Natural Blood Bone with Seaweed.

Once seedlings reach 10cm tall, thin and discard weak seedlings, leaving the healthiest. Transplant into the garden bed, spacing 30-40cm, water in with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate and mulch well with an organic mulch, like pea or lucerne straw.

Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate and harvest whole or break off individual stalks as you need them — this helps extend the harvest season.

How to grow celery in a pot

Choose a pot at least 300mm wide and deep. Position in full sun and protect from strong winds.

Fill starter trays with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix. Sprinkle seeds over mix, lightly cover and gently water. Keep the soil moist throughout germination – this can take up to 2-3 weeks or longer in cooler conditions.

Once seedlings reach 10cm tall, fill chosen pots with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix. Transplant seedling into pot and water in well with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate.

Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate and harvest whole or break off individual stalks as you need them — this helps extend the harvest season.

Growing tips

Celery seedlings don’t like having their roots disturbed so handle them with care and try to keep a small amount of mix intact around the roots.

For green celery, simply pick outside stems with a sideways pull to break them off at ground level.

Celery plants can be ‘blanched’ three to four weeks before harvesting by wrapping black polythene or thick newspaper around the stems from ground level to about 40cm high. The stalks will pale and be ready in 2-3 weeks.

Keep plants well watered and fed to avoid stress, otherwise you will end up with dry, fibrous stalks.

To maximise growing space in a pot, try sowing baby lettuce or microgreens around the celery. Take care not to overcrowd as the plants will compete for nutrients. — Courtesy of Yates