Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: shaun on January 21, 2007, 21:46

Title: celery
Post by: shaun on January 21, 2007, 21:46

has anyone got any tips on growing celery i grew so called self blanching last year in a block but they didnt blanch one bit,not bad in a soup or stew but to eat raw its has tough as a goats toe.

Title: celery
Post by: muntjac on January 21, 2007, 21:54

grow it from seed into a pot mate . 3inch is good enough . plant out when they are 6 inches tall with green leaf formation on the top . plant in a trench with good manure  leave a mound lip al the way down both sides put a piece of hard cardboard around them / as they grow just pull a little soil up around the stems i love growing it , for early summer salad just take a few small ones they are delicous . dont go for self blanching tho mate stick to trenching ones.more werk that way .i like pascal celery its not so tough as the golden heart types

Title: celery
Post by: ziggywigs on January 21, 2007, 21:56

Celery has negative calories - being almost absent of calories, the process of eating consumes calories, netting you a negative calorie meal or snack!

To blanch celery, tie brown paper around the celery with string about 10 days or even longer before you want to harvest. The colour of the stalks will lighten, and their flavour will become milder.

You could just earth up but doing it above ground gives you more control and it keeps the sticks clean. I have found that bands of brown paper 15cms wide a great success. The paper must be opaque and strong enough to withstand the weather and water of the growing season. Take off any outside decaying leaves and suckers wrap the paper around the Celery and tie with string.  Check for any decaying sticks and take these out and replace with fresh brown paper periodically :)

Title: celery
Post by: shaun on January 21, 2007, 22:05

they took ages to germinate aswel not growing that type again though.
what type would you recomend then ?

got some globe artichokes the other day never ate or grew these before do they crop 1st year ?

Title: celery
Post by: GrannieAnnie on January 21, 2007, 22:15

I tried the self blanching type too.  They are a bit tough, and also they only grew long and thin.  Was your celery like that too Shaun?

But like you said, okay in soups and stews!!!

Title: celery
Post by: shaun on January 21, 2007, 22:18

just like that grannny long thin and tough  :D

Title: celery
Post by: ziggywigs on January 21, 2007, 22:20

I would recommend Solid White.   Crisp stems of good flavour which is usally ready around November.

You may find this link of use too.

http://garden-centre.org/Celery.htm

Title: celery
Post by: muntjac on January 21, 2007, 22:24

giant white i9f ya know what ya soil is mate , my best

Title: celery
Post by: shaun on January 21, 2007, 22:25

good link ziggy