How to successfully grow celery in your garden pots

Celery can be a fussy vegetable plant to grow as it doesn’t like too hot or too cold conditions. But once you’ve got it growing happily, celery will provide you with plenty of crispy, fresh stalks whenever you need them. Although they might have a reputation for being difficult in the garden, with a little patience and know-how, you’ll be harvesting crisp, flavourful stalks in no time.

Growing celery from seeds

Select a planting spot that receives full sun, as celery seeds require the right amount of sunlight accompanied by nutrient-rich soil. Just loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 meters with a garden fork, then mix with aged manure or even compost into the soil. Celery plants prefer soil with the right pH. Sow celery seeds by sprinkling them onto the surface of your prepared garden soil and keep them moist until they germinate.

When grown in garden pots indoors, celery seeds will germinate best when the temperatures inside are a bit warmer. So, start seeds in punnets indoors if needed before planting them in your garden.
Just remember that growing these veggies requires 3 main things: cool weather, constant water and soil that’s rich in organic matter.

Image Credit: Pexels

Caring for your celery

The key to success with celery is plenty of moisture throughout the plant’s growing season. If the soil dries out, the stems won’t swell and will be very stringy. These veggies will become stringy and too strongly flavoured if they go short of water, so ensuring that the plants have access to a steady supply of moisture throughout the growing season is essential. If growing in containers, be prepared to water regularly in the summer as the potting compost dries out rapidly.

Laying a thick layer of mulch over the soil around celery plants after planting helps hold moisture in the ground, reducing the need for watering constantly. Since celery plants love rich soils with plenty of nutrients. Lightly dressing the soil with high nitrogen fertiliser in summer, once the plants are established, can be very helpful to benefit your plants.