[rowlandwells]

does anyone out there still grow trench celery because that's one thing I've never decided to grow in my years of gardening because basically I don't know how to grow trench celery the way I think you grow it is by digging a trench hence trench celery then line the trench with manure ? then having raised the celery seed to plants in the greenhouse you plant them in the trench

then as the celery grows you back fill the trench with soil until its full and the celery grows above the trench you then  put newspaper or brown paper round the plant so it blanches it then you cut it when its about foot tall?

 my father in law used to grow what he called dirty celery that was pink in colour cutting it around this time of the year if my memory serves me write?  but I can't remember him digging a trench I think he wrapped paper round the plant an kept backing up the soil round the plant like you do potatoes

so I'm thinking I mite give both the trench celery and the pink celery a go next year if its not to much trouble maybe if I can get some advise on this topic before deciding if its worth growing we do grow self blanching or green celery but it never to me tastes the same as the white the white seems to have a better flavour anyway all comments welcome

[Nobbie]

I think the reason for growing in a trench is to make watering easier and prevent the plants going dry as you can blanch by wrapping with paper when planting on the level. I imagine that slugs are a real problem if you provide the damp conditions that celery likes.

I’m tempted by this myself as I have a very boggy area of clay that won’t get used for much else. Might try some celeriac there as well. I might start a trench next time I’m up, although it will immediately turn into a small lake at the moment.

[Snow]

Ive not tried it, but was wondering what varieties do you grow? I did tall utah for a couple of years and it was supposed to be self blanching but I found it wasn't really despite me growing them fairly close together. Was really only good for stock. Then I tried an F1 called victoria and that was a lot better, still a lot more robust in flavour and texture than the ones you buy in the shops, which i suspect are grown in very controlled conditions that i'm not going to bother to replicate    didn't grow it last year but i'm going to again this year, probably just treat it as cut and come again mainly for cooking with

[rowlandwells]

I see Kings do 4 varieties of celery Victoria and Utah  that was mentioned and golden self blanching and Red giant so I mite give red Giant and Victoria self blanching a go I think I mite dig out a small trench as well and I mite have to trench Red giant as it doesn't say its self blanching any way nothing ventured nothing gained as they say they will all probably end up on the compost heap as usual

I think the celery variety I grew was Greensleeves and the celeriac was Giant Prague I know both are prone to slug and snail attack so plenty of slug pellets me thinks