[kirpi]

Perhaps I don't really know what real celery looks like?

I planted my celery seedlings out on a very well mulched bed, watered every day especially during the hot spell and even on the rainy days and they've had plenty of nitrogen; without going into too much detail there.

But the finished plants have come out thin stalked and woody - something I would expect from a bed that was too dry and not watered enough. They haven't bolted - though they are starting to now as the days draw in.

Good enough only for soups and rabbits really. They taste great but you need good teeth and strong jaws!

I am thinking for next year I will open a trench and gradually fill it over winter with newspaper shreddings, green weeds etc and create a water reserve under the planting line to hold water to the roots.

The soil is gritty and open when not managed at all and very little clay. When I worked allotments in the Midlands I cursed the clay, but I miss it now.

[Nobbie]

I'm on heavy clay and had my first go at self blanching celery this year and it's been great. It's just about upto shop bought size now and tastes really good. It was planted in a block and mulched with rotted manure and then given a good soaking twice a week unless it rained. Sounds like your's got a bit of a check to it's growth somewhere if it's bolting now.

[gypsy]

Mine looks ok and the texture is good but it is bitter.

[devonbarmygardener]

I've never had success with celery.
It's a fussy old plant. If it's anything like celeriac, it will be a really greedy feeder (I actually grew this successfully for the first last year).

You are supposed to trench celery according to the gardening books I have (and I have a few - don't we all!!)

I haven't grown celery for 7 years - tried it twice - gave up but celeriac was good as I say, with lots of home made compost (mine is mostly wood shavings, chicken poo, and veggy scraps and egg shells from home) plus a weekly dose of chicken poo pellets

[kirpi]

I think I will try trenching at two spits depth and fill it slowly with vegetable scraps and newspaper shreddings over winter, top with soil in spring and plant on that in a finished trench depth around half a spit deep. Should be water retentive enough to keep celery happy.

Frustrating though that no sooner is your celery ready on the plot that the supermarket prices drop to half price!