How to grow celery

Apium graveolens · Apiaceae · Vegetable

Celery is a cool-season vegetable in the Apiaceae family, usually started indoors and set out as transplants. It wants full sun, though it tolerates a little afternoon shade in hot regions and plenty of water, especially in hot weather. From sowing to first pick is about 100–140 days. It shrugs off a light frost but a hard freeze will damage it.

Grower’s note: Demands constant moisture and a long, cool season - it strings and turns bitter in hot, dry weather. Surface-sow the tiny seed (it needs light) and keep it under lights for the slow 2-3 week germination. Self-blanching types save trenching.

Sowing

Sow barely covered — the seed needs light to germinate, into soil between 55–75°F — germination is quickest near 70°F. It is slow and often erratic to germinate (14–21 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 10 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 8″ along the row with roughly 24″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 12″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 10″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

As a cool-season crop, celery does its best growing in the mild weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat.

Quick facts

When to plant celery

Companions

Common problems

Pests: aphids, celery leaftier, slugs, carrot rust fly.

Diseases & disorders: early blight, late blight, fusarium yellows, bacterial leaf spot.

Same family (Apiaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.