[sclarke624]

I still have loads of celery in the raised bed growing.  Will the colder weather affect it do you think?  Will putting a cloche over them help.....if it stays in place and doesn't blow over next doors?  

Because I cut and come agained it rather than ripping out whole celery plants it just keeps coming.  They are the self balnching type if it matters.  Still taste great.  But there must be about 40 dinners worth there.  OH will only eat raw veg, so can it be frozen and defrosted to eat raw?

Thanks

[paintedlady]

It would be best to harvest some of the self blanching soon as it will go downhill any day now.  I use celery in stews and soups, so I just chop and freeze without blanching but not sure about eating it raw after it has been in the freezer.

[compostqueen]

no it wouldn't be crunchy I don't think as the cells will have been altered by freezing it

I think you'll have to turn it into soups and base for a pasta sauce etc.  I love celery round the meat, and in a sausage casserole.  

I grew some this year, my first time, and it was easy. Dead chuffed with it. Mind you I've done to much too  :roll:

[sclarke624]

Thanks I was thinking it will change in texture as well.  It was dead easy compostqueen, ..........thats why I have too much of it as well.  Every seed germinated and there is loads of sticks on one plant unlike supermarket celery. I'll have to give it away though as I acually hate celery :oops: and OH refuses to eat cooked veg, he always has since he was a lickle boy.  I know I could disguise it for him in casseroles, not for me as I always know its in something I am eating, but might be easier to be generous...........still may have a couple of weeks longer being South.  Still haven't worked out when our frosts are.

[Trillium]

Despite all the water celery loves and needs (being a bog plant) it actually tolerates frost very well so there's no hurry to harvest it. All the commercial growers here put it off until last along with sileage corn.

[love-my-plot]

If your OH will eat is as soup, you could make a load and freeze that in portions. Celery soup is great, spiced up with a bit of chilli  

[muntjac]

take some straw ,,, wrap it around the plants now wrap cardboard around that and secure with string ,poke some straw down the hole ,,, cut when ya ready to eat it ,,,,,,,  

[sclarke624]

ta munty

[g1ggles]

We grow some last year and left it over winter hubby was still eating it in the spring. Every time we went to the lotty he would have a bit and when we did dig it up the soil was lovely fine and crumbley for the next crop.It also made good ground cover there was hardly any weeds when it was dug up
g1ggles

[sclarke624]

Yeah for me the cut and come again has really worked well as lots of new sticks grow where others have been cut off, great value for money.

[LucasAndRichard]

I thought celery was supposed to be really hard?  How/what time of year/where did you start it off?
My kids love celery, so I'm not sure there could be too much of it in our house...!
 
L

[sclarke624]

thought celery was supposed to be really hard? How/what time of year/where did you start it off?
My kids love celery, so I'm not sure there could be too much of it in our house...!

Well that was what I was told so didn't hold out much hope.  But total success, and not the least difficult.  It was self blanching Galaxy Lathom self blanching, got seeds from Thompson and Morgan £1.69.
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/603/1.html

Seen them here for 80p
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/603/1.html
same seeds and in the home page faq he says why cheaper.

Started off in early March in the conservatory just in those cell things you get http://www.allotment-garden.org/greenhouse/Grow_Pot_Basket/garden-244.html

Blurb says: Sow from late winter to spring on the surface of a moist peat based compost, do not cover the seed as light aids germination. Seal in a polythene bag until germination which takes 10-16 days at 21C (70F). Grow on at a cooler temperature 16-18C (60-65F  I didn't bother with the plastic bag.  I also planted them a lot closer than packer said, and as I said before I cut off storks as needed rather than lift whole plant, as I found it still had some growing of storks to do.  Unfortunately I hate celery but others that eat it in the family like it saying 'thats how celery should taste'.

Grew some in a plastic box/crate I had made holes in, the type they give you to put your old newspapers in, about 24" by 12"(we now have big recycle bins).  Thats what I mean about planting much closer than supposed too there were ten plants in this box.  They are supposed to be 10" apart.  I had cut all the storks off the celery in this box 8 Weeks ago, looked out today and more storks have grown.

Just remember they are bog plants and like lots of water once planted out.  I just hope they are as good for me next year.